Lettuce cultivation Guide (2024)

Lettuce is the most popular of the salad crops and is of great commercial importance; first-time Lettuce cultivated in ancient Egypt.

Earlier, Europe and North America were the leading producers of lettuce; however, since the late 20th century, lettuce’s production and consumption had spread throughout the world. In present-day China is the leading producer of lettuce in the World, followed by the USA.

India ranks 3rd in commercial production of lettuce, occupying 4% of the World’s total production. The Nilgiri mountain of South India is emerging as an Iceberg lettuce production hub for the multinational food giant McDonald’s.

Ooty Farms and Orchards joined the McDonald’s family and became one of the three suppliers of Iceberg lettuce to McDonald’s India.

The demand for lettuce is growing very fast. The restaurant industry is booming steadily because the country’s young generation preferring international cuisine like a burger, pizza, sandwiches, tacos, spring rolls, etc., where lettuce is an integral part.

Lettuce Verity

Lettuce is classified into four major types, namely

• Head lettuce (Lactuca sativa var. capitata),
• Leafy lettuce (Lactuca sativa var. crispa),
• Cos or Romanian lettuce (Lactuca sativa var. longifolia)
• stem lettuce (Lactuca sativa var. aspergina).

Among the cultivated varieties, Iceberg and Great Lakes are the popular head type lettuce grown in India.

The head of iceberg lettuce is light green, round in shape, and tightly packed with lettuce leaves like cabbage head. Lettuce is an excellent source of different vitamins and minerals.

Iceberg lettuce has high water content (95 percent) and low in calories (13 kcal/100g), which is very effective for weight loss efforts.  Iceberg lettuce helps in fighting heart diseases and strokes and protecting infants from neural tube defects during pregnancy.

Regular inclusion of lettuce in salads is known to prevent osteoporosis, iron-deficiency anemia and believed to protect from cardiovascular diseases, age-related macular disease (ARMD) in the elderly, Alzheimer’s disease
and cancers.

Soil and Climate for lettuce Cultivation

Well-Drained fertile soil with a pH of about 6.0 is most suitable for the growth of lettuce.

It is moderately salt tolerant. Lettuce is a cool-season crop requiring a mean air temperature of 10 – 20°C. Cool nights are essential for good-quality lettuce.

Lettuce is grown mainly in areas having cool summers and mild winters.

In large-scale Lettuce, cultivation is done without soil with the help of hydroponic technique or protective cultivation.

Seed Rate:

Lettuce seeds are very thin and delicate—approximately 325 grams required for one-hectare Lettuce cultivation.

Since the seed is very fine, plant the seedlings on the bed.

There are approximately 800 seeds of lettuce in one gm.

Nursery raising for lettuce cultivation 

prepared raised bed for nursery a well rotten FYM or compost mix with soil at the rate 4 kg/m2.

Make Nursery beds 100 cm wide and 30 cm in height.

Mix fertilizers, 100 gms of sulphate, and 50 gm of thiamat on each bed and mix them with soils on the bed.

Lettuce’s seeds should be sown in lines at a spacing of 5 cm between rows and 1.5-2 cm depth. The seed should be covered with sand and FYM mixture.

Plants are ready for planting in approximately 21-28 days.

To prevent diseases or pests. Monocrotophos 1 ml and copper oxychloride, mixed with 2 gm/liter of water, spray two sprayers at a span of 15 days

Planting

seedlings of Lettuce is ready to transplant in 4 to 5 weeks.

Seedlings should be hardened before transplanting. Hardening is done by withholding water for about 68 days. Seedlings are transplanted in flatbeds at a spacing of 45 × 45 cm or 45 × 30 cm.

Approximately 66665 seedlings are required to cultivate in the one-hectare area.

Fertilizer management in lettuce farming

The application of fertilizers influences the growth and yield of lettuce. For growing lettuce,  150-200 q/ ha of farmyard manure add 25 kg of both  Nitrogen and potassium and 90 kg of phosphorus per hectare.

On sandy and sandy loam soils without manure, 40-50 kg of Nitrogen and 75-100 kg of phosphorus and potassium per hectare should be applied.

For good growth on silt loam and clay loam soils, 25 kg each of Nitrogen and potassium and 50-75 kg of phosphorus per hectare may be used.

However, fertilization would depend upon the nutrient availability and soil fertility status concerning essential nutrients. About one third to one half of the nitrogen should be applied when seeding and the rest after thinning operation.

Irrigation

There are various systems of irrigation, which include furrow irrigation, drip irrigation, and sprinkler irrigation.

Frequent and light irrigations are more effective in achieving high yield and quality production in lettuce farming.

After planting, crops should be irrigated at 8- to 10-day intervals.

 Drip irrigation increased yield by about 30% over furrow irrigation.

Intercultural Operations

Roots of lettuce crops are shallow, so weeding should be done carefully without distributing lettuce.  Usually, weeding. After 15 days or according to need.

Maturity and Harvesting

Harvesting of lettuce begins as soon as plants reach acceptable size and firmness and should be completed before the leaves become tough and bitter and before seed stalks start to bold.

The stage of harvest maturity depends on the variety of lettuce and the purpose for which it is grown. In Head, lettuce for the market is allowed to grow to full size and develop a solid head, but it is often harvested before the head is well-formed for home use.

Leaf lettuce plants may be thinned at various times, removing the largest leaves for use and leaving smaller ones to develop.

Lettuce is usually cut with a long-handled sharp knife. lettuce should be packed carefully into a thick cardboard box