Rodnik is a variety of yellow lupine (Lupinus luteus L.), late-maturing and universal in application. The plant is tall, semi-erect, determinate type with green leaves and no anthocyanin stem pigmentation. The terminal leaflet is long and wide, the corolla is lemon-yellow, with dark blue-black keel tips. The pod is medium length, the seed is white with ornamentation, 1000-seed mass is 105–125 g.
The variety is characterized by good adaptation to clay soils and moderate resistance to pathogens: susceptible to fusarium less than the standard, to anthracnose at the same level. Alkaloid content is only 0.03%, while protein in green mass exceeds the standard average. Yield of dry matter and seeds is at average or slightly above average level.
Yellow lupine Rodnik is widely used as a food product due to high content of beta-carotene, fibers, oligosaccharides, and oils. Seeds are used in the food industry, medicine, paints and coatings, and plastics industries, as well as for feeding game and fish. Products based on lupine help reduce blood sugar levels and help with diabetes. Moreover, thanks to symbiosis with nitrogen-fixing bacteria, Rodnik serves as an excellent green manure: it can accumulate up to 200 kg of nitrogen per hectare, improving soil fertility for subsequent crops.
For growing Rodnik, it is recommended to sow in late July–mid-August after harvesting potatoes, cabbage, and green crops, or early spring on well-moistened soil. At maximum growth of green leaves, the plant should be cut, chopped, and buried in the soil to a depth of 15–20 cm to preserve accumulated nitrogen. Sowing rate is 180–200 kg/ha.
