Anagyrine in Western American Lupines

Abstract

The teratogenic condition known as 'crooked calf disease' occurs when pregnant cows eat certain lupines with anagyrine concentrations at or above 1.44 g kg-1 dry matter between the 40th and 70th day of pregnancy. Five of eight species collected in Oregon and Washington had accessions with anagyrine at or above the hazardous concentrations as determined by gas/liquid chromatography. A total of 14 species of lupine are now shown to contain accessions with potentially hazardous concentrations of anagyrine. Any range/livestock management system that will expose susceptible cattle to anagyrine-bearing lupines could result in serious calf crop losses.