The total area under lettuce in 1994 was 20 640 rai and decreased by 23.09 percent in 1998, probably because of land pressure in peri-urban areas as planting areas near the cities are being progressively reduced. The growing area was 15 874 rai in 1998 with a production of 20 186 tons. Since it is a highly perishable product, it is mainly produced near big cities such as Nonthaburi, Bangkok, Samutsakhon and Pathumthani.
The recommended cultivars are :
GRAND RAPIDS:
a loose-leaf cultivar, which is slow bolting, heat tolerant, and resistant to tip burn. The leaf is light green, ruffled and fluted. The crop matures in 40–45 days and is popular in Thai markets.
BLACK-SEEDED:
it is also a loose-leaf type; the plant is large and vigorous; the leaves are light green, highly frilled, crisp, and suitable for decoration or for salads.
BALLADE:
this is a round-headed type which has crisp and highly palatable leaves. The cultivar is quite heat tolerant and suitable for high rainfall areas and is best suited to the tropical monsoon season. The head weight averages 800 gm.
Post-harvest handling needs to be improved. Suitable packing of leaf lettuce may be in opentopped polythene bags which are put in crates or boxes. Cooling or packing with ice keeps it fresh for longer periods.
Future breeding work should focus on the improvement for heat-tolerant cultivars. There are no germplasm collections in Thailand. Local selection is carried out by agricultural universities and little activity is being handled by seed companies
The recommended cultivars are :
GRAND RAPIDS:
a loose-leaf cultivar, which is slow bolting, heat tolerant, and resistant to tip burn. The leaf is light green, ruffled and fluted. The crop matures in 40–45 days and is popular in Thai markets.
BLACK-SEEDED:
it is also a loose-leaf type; the plant is large and vigorous; the leaves are light green, highly frilled, crisp, and suitable for decoration or for salads.
BALLADE:
this is a round-headed type which has crisp and highly palatable leaves. The cultivar is quite heat tolerant and suitable for high rainfall areas and is best suited to the tropical monsoon season. The head weight averages 800 gm.
Post-harvest handling needs to be improved. Suitable packing of leaf lettuce may be in opentopped polythene bags which are put in crates or boxes. Cooling or packing with ice keeps it fresh for longer periods.
Future breeding work should focus on the improvement for heat-tolerant cultivars. There are no germplasm collections in Thailand. Local selection is carried out by agricultural universities and little activity is being handled by seed companies
Originated by :Agricultural development
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