It has been cultivated for over 6000 years[3] as a food crop for its edible legume seeds, as a fodder for livestock and for green manure.

Like other legumes, the narrow-leaved lupin fixes nitrogen in a symbiotic interaction with different bacteria in the rhizosphere.

Bacteria living in this rhizosphere include Bradyrhizobium lupinii or the newly discovered species Kribbella lupini.

The fruit is a legume pod containing seeds of varying colors from dark gray to brown to white, or speckled or mottled.

[8] Lupins react with a higher yield loss, when they are sown late, than other crops (e.g. cereals) do.

[9] The optimum seed density depends on the site yield potential [10] and is generally higher in non-branching cultivars than in branching ones.

The straw usually isn't ripened at this point, but further delay of harvest would increase losses from shattering of the pods and lodging.

The disease and weed spectrum of the narrow-leaved lupin is different from most major crops and it is able to improve the soil (see Use).

[13] The whole plant, including the seeds, is widely used as a fodder for livestock, due to its high protein and energy content.