Testing albus lupins for bitter seeds

The success of the Australian albus lupin (Lupinus albus) industry depends on the ability to supply 100% sweet seed.

Sweet seed has low alkaloid content.

Sweetness is controlled by a single recessive gene.

The bitter form of the gene causes seeds to have high alkaloid content – about 1000 times greater than the alkaloid content of sweet seed.

If bitter-contaminated seed lots are sown then contamination will increase with each generation.