Precision Planting Lettuce

Abstract

Compared to current planting practices using naked lettuce seed, precision planting coated lettuce seed can result in substantially reduced thinning costs, increases in number of marketable lettuce heads per acre, and higher average head weight. The use of coated seed, however, requires more attention to seedbed preparation, planting depths, irrigation schedules, and stand maintenance. Hill - dropping naked seed does not appear to offer advantages over conventional planting practices except in a slight reduction of seed cost per acre.