AGRICULTURAL
* * *

imeograph Series No - 13

EXPERIMENT7STATION
nAla.

November 1945

eofc ThAIa'b'anas Pl-ytchi
BLUE LI§jPI11Kj E0

M. J;'Funchess, Director .C7UIR SOUh1 ElI- N i-LABIIIMA ll'ThL\;

ET F

SCULZ 1 jAssociate Agronomist o, ronomist Rl E 'De G.

Blue'luine (1u4in- angistioius) is awinter gained considerable, popularity in southern Alabnamin recent years.'In e so s t~~t .'t 16 last. ,.4years, l94/2 -45ss hspoduced more green malterial t ~hain dur -~ 3t21.T: it s'.p duin~~iOlas 4,i than any other wvinter legume tested. Blue lupine is also popular because it produces abundant seed crdps in he southern..partl'of the State, I4 contrast, Avtrian peas ard the vetches almost always fail as s-eed produrs. By gowing lupine-the ftlmer can save seed' 'or future plantings, thus reducing oreliminating necessary cash outlays for winter legume seed. VJ1a re to plant. Blue lupinos are not sufficiently winter hardy-for use in. all seo-tions of -Alabama, Thir grcett counties of the State, Plantings north of Butl.r County very frequently faildue to killing bycold, This ould be considered by farmers if they plant' the czop extensively in contral 'and horthuln b Losses due to killing by cold are not u 0om.on in the b ou=tiscadjoining northern Florida. mi How Find 'hen -to.---pl1,:z_-wh Lend ohen ich bieplAnted to plt's on wh i-ch blue l'- ' -can,be pr.ep s f 7or Au stran'Peas or vetch. It is fertilized with 300' ,to 400 poids' of 0-14l0, or -with 200 to 300'i fs P 50to70. j'ounads of muri ate of pota-sh pe-)r ' orl. Blue lupinre ca,;n be pl1arted in southerA ln 'Ke ny tim during the ionthiof October; wqh en own in'C e11tral leb11a it is planted in ptm ber (Table ) ThQe: sea4 should bepeiulyinooulate~d with -;a-Spec ial lupine culjture, Blue lup ine may be seede'd with a l2, or 3"row plantea gE!in drills a knock ,r.distribitor or it,can be -bro,,adcast an-dddiskud inlightly. -

Tabl&1, Geen.Weigtl.and Seed Yields of 21u~iv-Lupn sMfce byRAteDts and th'ds of'-S- ding-194 Dae Rait eo f MethodbGr.een we ruii~t p(,,r ac re :Seed y ialIdIs per acre plated:-seeding : of :Readland:Fnirhope; won edlan Brwo :Per acre "I seodi g (4 3/.23 3/9 : /2 Pounds Pounds Pounds 'Pounds Pounds Pounds Octobor 1 October 1 October 1 Octobdr 1 October 1 N1ov.v 1 De'8
Dec. 29

40-60 30 80 100 80 0 30

drilled

3,625

5,55,4
38,494.-,

11,401 15,03-1

967

29797 2,904 2,r733J

drilled,. -10,493 dr illeod broa--dctast dild rilled drillod
drillead

12307
1,359

11,413,, 11,064+-18,;10 5 10,542 1,6 22,564' 11,103
--

17,v119
1291

1,66.2A120.07 16,4813 14,317

,9529733
1542, 320

5,j576
1,089

4,26

1,045247

Table 20

Corpri'son 'of Blue LupDi ne cMdOthe as Green M-Anur e Crops
p-11r arefor. a~ PaIroa:oovi1

itrLgume s

Winter legume

:Abun:Hr

years-shown irtn;P 1942-45Pounds

ttll

1942-45:19J+275J1Q-42"4: Pound's Pounds Pounds ,ai*ry "vetch, Austrian wjinte-r
peas

g1942-4 .1942-45: Pou~nds. Pounds 10,264

9,142

1,1

42~3592

~2

9,144..., 10,510

14,295 13,049 12,130

7,-910 13,244 4223 )i

-9', 04
39038 -7,29E3

12,409
12,703

11,091
13,93 6

Monantha vetch

Vlillarnetteo ,-;tch 9,039

11,054+,

7,256

Seed hartresting 'The seed of blue lupine nature in May and early June in Alabama, The seed shatter rea-dily after they reach maturity; therefore, they must be ha.rvested as soon after maturity Ls possible. They may be harvested with a combin, or cut with a monerb threshed, The cut or pulled plants my be flailed over a waon box, Some ffArmers harvest the seed by- picking the mture pods by hand. Ais soon as the seed alro threshed1 they should be cleaned to remove trash and green immature sfod, Immture seed causes heating. The cleaned sepd are then spread on a floor in ta layer not over 12 inches deep. Tey are stirred occasionally until they are thoroughly dry. They are then sacked and stored on a dry plank floor (not on concrete). Diseases Ca(nd insects . Blue lupine is subject to attack by certain diseases .And insects, which in some years almost entirely destroy the stand. No methods of control of such diseassand inse known. The most commii-on diseatse- of blue lupine is ac." Fusar* iurn wilt, wihich may attack the plant rimy time from seedling stago un-)t'i mfaturity, Ai-ffected plants become noticeably ivilter before-, dying, and t.he inrd portions of the stemas and roots becomeI' ckenced in much ti 1e s nme manner --s in the case of cotton plaunts infected with cotton wilt .(caused by Canother specie*s of Fusarriixur). Oth(er .diseases, such h23)outhI-iern bli--ht ae'.nd cex't-in seed"ling di easS0some timeOs a t taLck blue lu p ine seovere:Vcly.o ts
CAtU

Aly Maggot (HIy1mL2

sp.) fre quently attaL-cks blue lupine seedlings

in the fal~

he ins'.:,ct

destroys-the iintenal tissue of the stemas and roots

near the ground leavel, resultinig in the death of the pla-nt.