Production of Lettuce (Lactuca sativa) in Ghana.
Production of Lettuce (Lactuca sativa) in Ghana.
Lettuce is a foreign vegetable which is now commonly grown in Ghana.
It is either eaten raw, cooked in palava Source, or as a salad.
Varieties of lettuce grown in Ghana
- Cos or Romaine lettuce
- Leaf lettuce (var. crispa)
- Cabbage lettuce.
Weather requirement for its cultivation.
- Lettuce is a cool season crop.
- It grows well in a wide range of climatic and soil conditions.
- It performs better in temperatures of 15 – 22°C.
- A pH of 6.0-6.8 is preferable.
- It needs soils with good drainage and high organic content.
- Sandy loams are ideal.
How to cultivate lettuce
- Clear the land and raise beds.
- Add organic manure such as cow dung, poultry dung, goat dung, or decaying organic matter into the soil
- Lettuce is grown by the seed.
- It germinates within 4-5 days from sowing.
- After 4-6 weeks the young seedlings are transplanted or they are transplanted when they have 4 – 5 leaves.
- You can however sow your lettuce seeds directly and thinned out after they germinate.
- Planting is done 20- 30 cm between plants and 40 cm – 45 cm between rows.
- Lettuce may mature in a 6-12 weeks period depending on the variety.
How to take care of your seedlings after transplant.
- Weed regularly
- Watering regularly
- Mulch to retain moisture and suppress weed growth.
- Apply fertilizer when necessary.
Disease of lettuce
Bottom rot.
- This is characterized by the ‘damping-off of seedlings,
- Older plants develop sunken brown spots on midribs and petioles of lower leaves which eventually fall.
Cultural control:
- Avoid deep planting.
- Water-logged soil.
- Burns debris.
Harvesting lettuce
- Harvest when heads mature and hearts are firm.
- It will bolt and produce flowers if kept too long.
- Harvesting during the early part of the day is preferable, particularly in hot weather.
- Yields of approximately 10-15 tones/may be obtained.
Storage and Marketing of lettuce
- Lettuce is stored for only a few days in a cool condition.
- You can also store it in your freezer.
- Lettuce ‘heads’ are marketed according to size and weight.
- It is sold locally or by export.
Importance of lettuce
- Lettuce is eaten raw as salad.
- Lettuce is cooked in palava sauce.
- It serves as roughage and prevents constipation.
- It also contains some nutrients (vitamins) needed by the body.
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