b'LETTUCE GO A closer look at our favorite salad ingredient, its breeding and its challenges in Europe. Marcel Bruins & Treena HeinLETTUCE.Everyone has itwhether you eat it in a salad, on aproduced over half the lettuce being grown on Earth. Lettuce burger or use it as a garnish, its featured in many of our favoritecontains high levels of antioxidants (vitamin C and polyphenols) foods. And not only that, but lettuce is an insanely global veg- and fiber. etable. Grown not only on the West Coast of the U.S., its also a vegetable grown primarily in Europe.Range of Varieties Our sister publication, European Seed, dove into the regula- Maraldi currently breeds only baby leaf lettuce and Bejo a few of tory challenges, access to genetics and innovations in lettucethe main types. Rijk Zwaan, Syngenta and BASF offer most or breeding in Europe by talking to experts across the EU.all of the main varieties, such as iceberg, romaine, Batavia, but-terhead, baby leaf, crunchy, gem, incised leaf, multileaf, crystal, Origins and Market Evolution lollo and oakleaf lettuce, some in conventional/organic, indoor/There is evidence that the cultivation of lettuce (Lactuca sativa)outdoor, and hydroponics/soil-suited varieties. For Meridiem, began as far back as 2680 BCE. It has most often been usediceberg lettuce is important, and it markets varieties of this let-for food, but like many plants, it also has historic significancetuce for many different areas/growing seasons and uses. in the areas of religion and medicine. It was originally farmedAlso, in the romaine and little gem typologies, there is a in ancient Egypt for its seed oils and also for the edible leaves.continuous demand for more competitive varieties, says Alfonso Lettuce was considered a sacred plant of Min, god of reproduc- Garca, lettuce breeder from Meridiem Seeds. The special-tion. It was carried during festivals, used in religious ceremoniesties and baby leaf type also have importance in our breeding and its image was added to tombs and wall paintings. As timeprogram.went on, the Greeks and Romans grew lettuce and by 50 CE, there were many different varieties. From the 1500s to the 1700sMain Breeding Targets: Yieldin Europe, more varieties were developed, and by about 1750,As with the breeding of all crops, both agronomic and market-cultivars had been created that still survive today. The crop alsooriented traits are critical to each lettuce varietys success. The became popular in North America, but by the late 1900s, lettucemarket for this vegetable is extensive, and Peter Visser, R&D was grown around the world. It is reported that in 2017, ChinaCrop Technical Lead for leafies, artichoke, okra, asparagus and 56/ SEEDWORLD.COMFEBRUARY 2021'