Grain Yield, Protein Content, Oil Content, and Vegetative Period of National Tarwi Cultivars (Lupinus Mutabilis Sweet) in Puno, Peru
Authors: Mujica Angel , Romero-Ucharico Miguel , Arcos Jesus , Moscoso Gladys , Ucharico Alfredo , Luna Juan Carlos 
Published: June 2024

Objective: The objective was to evaluate the agronomic behavior and select the best cultivars of tarwi (Lupinus mutabilis Sweet) for the Peruvian highlands, based on a higher grain yield, shorter vegetative period, protein, oil and carbohydrate content.

Theoretical Framework: The present research is based on adaptation theories through the evaluation of agronomic characteristics of the crop, acclimatization of plants in high-altitude highland conditions, genetic diversity of fabaceae crops and their essential role in sustainable agriculture.

Method: The crop technologies established for the area were adopted, such as seed selection, sowing date, spacing, sowing density, fertilization, agronomic and cultural work, pest and disease control, up to harvesting and threshing, on the other hand, the Lupinus morphological descriptors of the International Council on Genetic Resources were used, where 11 traits were evaluated, and for the analysis of proximal chemical composition, The methodology proposed by the Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC), together with the Institute of Food Science and Technology – ICTA Cordoba, Argentina, was used for three important nutritional traits. A completely randomized block design (DBCA) was used to evaluate the behavior of the treatments.

Results and Discussion: The results revealed that the cultivars Vilquechico, Sacacatani and SLP-1 obtained higher yields among the other cultivars, with 3490, 3258 and 3161 kg/ha respectively, and with respect to the vegetative period values of 225, 241 and 239 days respectively were found, likewise, for the nutritional balance a protein content of 44.9, 46.3 and 44.9% respectively was obtained. On the other hand, for the oil content, 23.5, 16.1 and 20.2% respectively were found, as well as for the carbohydrate content with 27.9, 33.7 and 30.3 % respectively, being the Vilquechico cultivar the only one with brown grain, determining these three cultivars with the best performance in the Puno highlands, inferring their adaptation and good agronomic behavior with outstanding characteristics to the other tarwi cultivars for the Puno region, Peru.

Research Implications: The practical implications of this research highlight its potential to improve the livelihoods of Andean populations by planting high-yielding with early-maturity tarwi cultivars, nutritionally enriched vegetative periods. Theoretically, it contributes to our understanding of crop adaptation strategies in high-altitude conditions and the role of genetic diversity in sustainable agriculture in the peruvian highlands.

Originality/Value: This study contributes to the literature and scientific knowledge of tarwi, which are necessary for genebanks, by providing important information on the yield of tarwi cultivars under specific environmental conditions of the highlands, offering practical agricultural perspectives in similar high-altitude regions. The value of the research lies in its direct application to improve food security and agricultural sustainability in the Andean highlands.