{UAH} LETTUCE FARMING

LETTUCE FARMING

Ecological requirements

● Temperatures ; under wide range of temperatures but a range of 15ºC to 30ºC is the best.

● Altitude ; altitude range of 800 - 2300m is the best.

● Rainfall ;400 - 600 mm during its growing period. Irrigate during dry seasons.

● Soils -Well drained, fertile sand-loam soils rich in organic matter and with a pH range of 6 - 8.

Varieties

● Leaf lettuce - Has loose leaves which forms small or no head at all

● Romaine - Have cylinder like upright leaves which fold to form a loose head.

Raising seeds in a nursery.

It is recommended to raise seedlings in a nursery for a good start with healthy seedling which are then transferred into a seedling bed.

To raise in a nursery:

Prepare a bed 1M wide, dig out weeds and level well. Make small drills 1cm deep at a spacing of 25-30cm apart. Cover with a light mulch and water.After 7 days when they have germinated, remove the mulch and make a raised shade 1M high over the nursery bed. Drench the seedlings while in the nursery to help control early diseases from Damping off and Fusarium wilt. The seedlings are ready for transplanting after 4-6 weeks when they are about

7cm high.

Note ; If you sow directly in a seedbed, thin (remove excess and weak plants) after 4 weeks.

Planting

Prepare the land well- Plough and harrow to a fine tilth. Apply rotten manure. Dig planting holes at a spacing of 30cm by 30cm. Put bottlecap (5g) per hole planting fertilizer (50kg of fertilizer/acre). Mix fertilizer with soil well. Plant a healthy lettuce seedling in each hole and firm soil around the base well. Mulch with dry grass then water

Field Management Practices.

1. Weeding.

2. Topdress twice i.e 1 week after transplanting and 4 weeks after transplanting. Use nitrogen rich fertilizer

3. Irrigate especially during dry seasons. You can also apply mulch like dry grass to help you conserve moisture.

4. Crop rotate to reduce build-up of pests and diseases.

Pests Control

Pests Some of the common pests include:

•Cutworm- It is a very dangerous larvae stage of a moth which cut young stems at the base causing them to fall off and die. Spray with appropriate pesticide after transplanting to protect from cutworms and kill if any.

•Diamond black moth - Are caterpillars which feed on the leaves. If not controlled, they can cause heavy defoliation of the crop. Use appropriate pesticides to control.

Aphids & Cabbage •Sawfly- They suck sap, causing leaves to roll interferes with head formation and make plant wilt. They also carry virus which cause diseases. Spray with appropriate pesticides to control.

•Root knot nematodes -Causes formation of galls which block the uptake of water and nutrients. This causes the crop to turn yellow and result in stunted growth

Diseases Control

•Black rot - It is bacteria which is common during warm and wet conditions. The infections is characterized by dark spots on leaves, stems and roots. To control ; rotate your field, use clean seeds and plant tolerant varieties. To prevent, spray early with appropriate chemicals.

•Downy mildew -A fungi which causes yellow/brown spots on leaves. Disease is common prevalent in cool,wet weather and affects all stages.Spray early with appropriate chemicals.

•Leaf spot - Appears as small, angular lesions and progresses to larger lesions and necrotic areas, which dry out and eventually collapse. It is a fungal disease and can be controlled with effective fungicides.

•Damping off - fungi affects seedlings while in the nursery and even after you transplant especially if they are crowded. It causes the lettuce to have dark brown or black rot at stem base of seedlings causing them to fall off and death. Use appropriate chemicals to protect and prevent.

•Lettuce mosaic virus -It is carried by aphids. The symptoms include deformation, yellowing with brown necrotic blotches on the leaves. Control vectors like aphids with insecticides

Harvesting

After maturity usually 2-3 after transplanting, you can harvest lettuce. To harvest, cut heads off with a knife. Remove damaged or old leaves then wash ready for use or the market. On average and under good management, you can harvest 4-6 tons per acre.

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"When a man is stung by a bee, he doesn't set off to destroy all beehives"

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