The cultivation of lupins, once a common rotational crop in South Africa, was halted due to an outbreak of anthracnose in broad-leaved lupins, though narrow-leaf sweet lupins are still grown in some areas. Despite their high protein content, their use as animal feed is limited due to high fiber content and potential contamination with harmful alkaloids and Diaporthe toxica, which can cause liver damage and jaundice in livestock, particularly sheep and cattle. The article also highlights the importance of livestock care, suggesting the use of vitamin B12 injections to stimulate rumen movement and zinc applications to protect against liver diseases. It also emphasizes the need for sufficient shade for animals grazing on green pastures.
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Original content
The use of lupins as a rotational crop in grain production areas, especially in the Western Cape, was a common practice in South Africa. Prof Tertius Brand from the Western Cape Department of Agriculture at Elsenburg, says that up to approximately 75 000ha of lupins were at one stage cultivated annually in this area. However, the outbreak of anthracnose in broad-leaved lupins practically brought its cultivation to a halt in the Swartland and Southern Cape. Narrow-leaf sweet lupins are still grown on a reasonable scale in the Eendekuil and Sandveld area. Although lupins can mainly be used as an alternative protein source to soybean oil cake by both monogastric (pigs, chickens and ostriches) and ruminant animals (cattle and sheep), due to its high crude fiber content, it has certain limitations when it comes to monogastric animals. Prof Brand says the reduced production potential of lupine seeds for monogastric animals due to the high fiber content, led to further studies which ...
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