Abstract
Narrow-leafed lupin (NLL) is one of the major legume crops in Australian farming system which is largely used as animal feed. A number of modern cultivars have been developed through breeding making NLL possible to be consumed as human food. Significant health benefits have been recognised when NLL seeds are consumed. This study characterised protein polymorphism among the 25 Australian cultivars through mass spectrometric (MALDI-TOF) with the aim of developing molecular breeding strategies to improve protein quality and content. Altogether, 364 seed storage proteins were identified by the MALDI-TOF profiling and fifty proteins were cultivar specific. Nine common proteins (present in all cultivars) and 61 rare proteins (present in 2–3 cultivars only) were recorded. Phylogenic analysis based on the protein profile clustered the cultivars into 2 major groups and 5 subgroups which are generally supported by the pedigree information. Small number (2.4%) of common proteins among the cultivars suggested a high level of genetic diversity in seed storage protein of NLL.