What are the varieties of lettuce? Which lettuce variety is best to choose? Many friends who want to grow lettuce often ask this question. This article summarizes the relevant content for you based on the relevant articles introducing lettuce varieties. I hope it can help you better understand lettuce varieties and choose suitable varieties for planting.

What are the varieties of lettuce?

①Classification according to leaf shape

Tangled leaf lettuce. The leaves are lanceolate, also called elongated. The leaves become more pointed as you go up from the stem, and the leaves tend to be upright. The plant development is small. When planting, the density can be slightly larger, and the fleshy stems are long and rod-shaped. Thick at the bottom and thin at the top. Different varieties have different density of internodes (distance between leaves).

The thin internodes in tip-leaf lettuce are mainly red-tip leaf varieties. The leaves are green-purple or even red-purple, such as Chinese Hongyun, Chinese Torch, and Hongcui No. 1; Red Fairy, Red All Over the World, and Red Fire at the base. The fleshy stems are bright when growing in the field until harvesting. It is generally cold-tolerant and suitable for autumn or winter cultivation.

The varieties of tip-leaf lettuce with moderately dense internodes and relatively smooth leaves are mainly green tip leaves. For example, three green sharp points, green sharp points, etc.; four green fragrant tips, fragrant green tips, etc. These varieties are generally relatively heat tolerant and suitable for planting from late spring to fall.

The tip-leaf lettuce with dense internodes is mainly a late spring, summer, and early autumn variety that is resistant to high temperatures. The leaves are green and the leaf surface is slightly wrinkled, such as Xia Qiu Xiangjian, Sword No. 1, Golden Delicious, etc.; Bala, Hao Shuai Jian Ye, Genius of the Generation, etc. Suitable for planting in high temperature seasons.

b. Round leaf lettuce. The leaves are oblong (long-obovate) and become wider as you go up from the stem. The leaves are slightly rounded at the top. The leaf surface generally has bubbles called wavy wrinkles. The leaves tend to be semi-erect. During the harvest period, the leaves spread out and fall, so the plant is more developed. Can be slightly thinner when planting. Those with strong heat tolerance are cultivated in summer and autumn, while those with strong cold tolerance are cultivated in late autumn. Or for overwintering spring lettuce cultivation. Different round-leaf varieties have different density of internodes.

Most high temperature resistant varieties have moderately dense internodes, such as Summer and Autumn Fragrant Bamboo Shoots, Oriental Shen Yun, Shangri-La, etc.:

Marshal, Baisheng No. 2, Haoxiang Round Leaf, etc. A round-leaf lettuce variety with sparse internodes. Generally, lettuce has strong cold resistance and high yield, and the stems of lettuce are thick (the middle and lower parts are thicker and taper at both ends), such as Qingtianxia, ??Xiangshan Feixue, Zhonghua Baoding, etc.: Pure Green, Wanshan Piaoxue, etc.

The varieties with sparse internodes are generally red round-leaf varieties, such as Dadihong, Hongcuizhu, Hongcui No. 3: Hongxiu Tianxiang, Hongguan Tianxia, ??etc.

The varieties with the rarest internodes are naturally the high-pile type cold-resistant lettuces, such as Xiangshuai Legend, Yushu Linfeng; Gaofushuai, Base Gaohua, and Wanli Piaoxiang. This type of variety has longer stems, more uniform thickness from top to bottom, and sparse leaves. You can see round, slender, green fleshy stems in the field, which are very handsome.

②Classify according to stem (leaf) color

a. Green and white lettuce. The leaves are green (lighter), the outer skin of the stem is green-white, and the flesh is light green-white. Such as Baotuo No. 1, Baotuo No. 2, Baotuo No. 3; Xiangbala, Generation Tianjiao, Wanshan Piaoxiang, etc.

b. Green lettuce. The leaves are green, the outer skin of the stem is green, and the flesh is green. Such as the blue sky, the blue earth, the Chinese green dragon, etc.: pure green, green fragrance thousands of miles, etc.

c. Red lettuce. The leaves are green-purple or red-purple on the front, the outer skin of the stem is purple-green or red-purple, and the flesh is emerald green. For example, Hongcui No. 1: Red Fairy, Hongguan Tianxia, ??Hongxiu Tianxiang, etc.

③Classification by plant height

a. Lettuce on high pile.

Advantageous new varieties bred in recent years. When lettuce is mature and harvested, the plant height is more than 70cm. If managed properly and the medium to low temperature climate is well matched, the plant height of 120em will still not be hollow. The fleshy stems are still edible. Such as Xiangshuai Legend, Qingtianzhu; Gaofushuai, exquisite Xiaoyecui, Wanli Piaoxiang, etc.

b. Not high pile lettuce. When lettuce is mature and harvested. Plant height is basically below 60em.

④Classification according to temperature suitability (related to sowing date)

a. Spring and autumn lettuce. It is generally planted in the open field in early spring and early autumn, and the optimum temperature for growth is 10-25°C. Such as Chinese golden sword, fragrant large flowers and leaves; fragrant green tips, fragrant green jade, etc.

b. Summer (autumn) type lettuce.

It is generally planted in the open field in late to early autumn and can withstand high temperatures of 35°C or even higher in the short term. Such as Baotuo No. 1, Baotuo No. 2; Xiangbala, Swordsman, Gaoxiang and other varieties.

c. Overwintering lettuce. It is generally planted in the open field in autumn and winter. The optimum temperature for growth is 020°C, and particularly cold-tolerant varieties can withstand short-term low temperatures of about 3°C ??in the open field. Such as Green No. 1, Green No. 2, Green No. 3; Yimu Evergreen, Siqingxiangjian, Wanshan Piaoxue, etc.

Selection of lettuce varieties

At present, there are more and more business entities such as large growers, professional vegetable cooperatives, planting companies, and bases. Along with large-scale and intensive production, the market risks of vegetable planting and operation are also increasing simultaneously, so selecting suitable varieties has become a top priority for every grower. How to choose lettuce varieties, "Second Brother" thinks that the following people should be selected.

① Investigate the market. If you grow vegetables, you have to sell them. The reason for selling vegetables is because there are people buying them. The beginning of planning to grow lettuce. You should visit local vegetable wholesale markets more often to understand what types of lettuce the market needs; communicate more with local vegetable purchasers. Find out where the vegetables are being trafficked and what varieties are being trafficked; go online to search for variety supply and marketing information. At least 8 aspects need to be clarified.

First, does the market need sharp leaf lettuce or round leaf lettuce?

The second is. Determine which places favor green and white lettuce, which places favor green lettuce, and which places favor red lettuce?

Third, red lettuce became more and more popular in 2016. Are they red pointed leaves? Or are they red round leaves? Or maybe the taste is different. Who are the buyers of these popular new products?

The fourth is, do you need tall lettuce with longer fleshy stems (stalks)? Or do you need shorter ones?

The fifth is. Do you need a variety with sparse internodes? Or a variety with dense internodes and many leaves?

Sixth, when will the market price be high? Generally, prices are higher in summer when output is low or around major festivals, but this is not always the case.

Seventh, when will it be possible to sell even if the market volume is large? A boss once told Brother Long that he wanted to grow 66.7hm lettuce and asked what varieties to grow. Long Erge suggested that he first understand the market. It is best to divide the 66.7hm into about 3 batches and plant them one after another at intervals of more than half a month to avoid difficulties in selling vegetables.

Eighth, should lettuce be digested in the nearest market or transported long distances to other places? Varieties with thin seed coats should be digested nearby and varieties with thicker seed coats should be transported long distances because thick skins can withstand storage and transportation.

It is best to take pictures of popular varieties and then go back to the lettuce seed supplier to buy them, so as to avoid the serious situation that the lettuces are beautifully grown but no buyers can be found.

②Planting time

After figuring out what varieties the market needs, plan when to sell them, what is the local growth period of each variety, and then choose which varieties to plant.

There are four seasons in a year. The age of lettuce seedlings is different in different seasons, the whole growth period is even different, and there are some differences between different varieties.

a. Spring lettuce. Sow seeds from January to March, seedlings are 30-45 days old, and harvested 70-100 days after transplanting.

b. Summer and autumn lettuce. Sow seeds from April to August, seedlings are 25-30 days old, and harvested 45-65 days after transplanting.

c. Winter lettuce. Sow seeds from mid-to-late August to early January of the following year. The seedlings are 30 to 45 days old and harvested 70 to 100 days after transplanting.

This is only a rough division. There are obvious temperature differences at different altitudes in the same season in the Yangtze River Basin. For the specific growth period of lettuce in a certain area, it is recommended to ask the lettuce seed supplier, or ask local experienced growers and agricultural technicians. Ask the department for advice.

③Temperature and cultivation mode

a. temperature environment. In the same season, different regions, different altitudes, and different temperatures, you must choose varieties that are suitable for the prevailing temperatures. Plains, hills, mountains, light, temperature, water and soil are different, and the use of varieties may also be different. For example, during the high temperature period in summer, high temperature resistant varieties must be planted in the plains of the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. In some high mountain Ertai areas (elevation 800 to 1200m), medium-temperature tolerant varieties with higher yields can be grown.

b. Cultivation model.

Different cultivation modes, such as planting 4 rows or 6 rows in one box, or 8 rows, the number of rows in each box is small. The spacing between plants and rows can be slightly smaller, and varieties that are not upright enough will not be a big problem; if the number of rows is large, the spacing between plants and rows should be larger accordingly. Or choose a variety with outstanding uprightness. The purpose is to provide ventilation and reduce the occurrence of diseases.

It is said that "lettuce is like gold in spring". Lettuce is recommended by nutrition doctors as a "golden vegetable". It has the effects of diuresis, diuresis and breast release, strengthening the body, widening the intestines and laxative. It can also prevent cancer. , anti-allergic, nourishing the liver, protecting the heart, resisting gout, activating insulin, increasing metabolism, etc. Especially for children, eating more lettuce is very beneficial to their growth and development.

The plan for the year begins with spring. Starting from spring, start growing lettuce. This is a good cause to enhance your health and improve your quality of life.