What to Do About Hollow Lettuce? Causes and Control Measures Explained
Lettuce (celtuce) is a fairly popular vegetable. Its crisp texture and good flavor make it well loved by people, but farmers have found hollow lettuce occurring during production, which brings relatively large economic losses. So what causes hollow lettuce? Let's take a look together.
1. Related to variety
Different varieties of lettuce have different resistance. Varieties with higher resistance are less prone to hollowing and stem cracking, but varieties with poorer resistance are extremely prone to hollowing.
Preventive measures: Before planting, select lettuce varieties with strong resistance and low susceptibility to hollowing according to local conditions. This can fundamentally prevent hollow lettuce.
2. Improper fertilizer and water management
During the growth period of lettuce, if fertilizer and water management is improper and the supply of fertilizer and water is uneven, the lettuce stem is extremely prone to cracking, and hollowing becomes relatively serious. Especially at the maturity stage of lettuce, the outer skin gradually lignifies. If watering is excessive at this time, the fleshy stem of the lettuce will absorb water and expand, but the lignified outer skin cannot expand along with it, and at this point hollowing and splitting occur. In addition, if boron is lacking during the growth period of lettuce, the vitamin C content of the lettuce will decrease, and the plant's disease resistance and stress resistance will both decline, thereby causing hollowing.
Control measures: Strengthen fertilizer and water management during the growth period. When the stem begins to swell, apply fertilizer together with watering. After watering, the stem expands faster and the demand for fertilizer and water is high. At this time, pay attention to the amount of watering; flood irrigation is not suitable. After watering, cultivate in time to increase soil permeability and avoid soil compaction. During the period when the fleshy stem is swelling, it is recommended to spray boron fertilizer 1-2 times, which can effectively prevent lettuce stem cracking and hollowing.
3. Over-late harvest
After lettuce matures, it should be harvested at the appropriate time. If harvesting is too late, the fleshy stem of the lettuce is extremely prone to hollowing, seriously affecting its marketability and edible value.
Preventive measures: Therefore, after lettuce matures, it should be harvested and marketed in time to avoid unnecessary economic losses caused by too late harvesting.
The above is an introduction to the causes of hollow lettuce and control measures. We hope it can help you. To learn more related knowledge, please follow us.