Lettuce in Spain, varieties and care-Optimized irrigation with probes

We are going to dedicate this article to lettuce, its varieties and its care. It is one of the latest crops that bets on our Plantae humidity sensor technology > applied to drip irrigation.

It is one of the most used vegetables in the daily diet. It accompanies meats, fish, eggs and is a complement to multiple salads.

Lettuce varieties

The Roman: one of the best known and most used. Long and crisp leaf.
Lollo rosso: reddish in color and more rounded. Curly shape. Widely used to color salads.
Escarole : more rounded and curly in appearance. more bitter taste than the previous ones. It better withstands the cold when growing it.
Green or red chicory: is quite bitter and can be eaten raw or cooked. Its season in winter.
French: sweet and tender taste like buttery with an intense green color. Round shape.
Iceberg: is round and light green.

variedades de lechuga — Lettuce varieties

Oak leaf : curly and purple. Very tender.
Arugula : Small and green leaves. Somewhat bitter. Abundant in summer.
Canons : small dark green leaves.
Endivia : elongated and with a bitter taste. It should not be washed before eating or it will make it more bitter.
Summer wonder : Rounded and one of the most tender.
Buds : similar to Roman but smaller. Typical of Tudela.

Lettuce care

Riego controlado con sondas en lechuga — Controlled irrigation with probes in lettuce. 1-Conductivity probe. 2-Pivoting and abundant root system. 3-Accumulation of salts. 4-Drip irrigation. 5-Wet bulb with humidity and temperature probe.

Lettuce roots are abundant and short compared to the development of the leaf. It is therefore sensitive to the lack of humidity and does not resist drought. But the excess of humidity causes the appearance of fungus. Therefore, controlled irrigation is very important.

The temperature should be medium or high and have many hours of light.

The lands should favorably be frank, because they get less waterlogged. Row planting is important.

Terreno idóneo para lechuga — Land -USDA

Installations of sensors / probes for underground drip irrigation control

The first thing is to analyze the terrain.

Campos de lechuga con riego controlado — Lettuce fields with controlled irrigation with humidity and temperature sensors / probes

Second, study where it is convenient to put the sensors / probes and the receiving Hub.

Técnico de Plantae instalando sensores en lechuga — Plantae technician installing humidity sensors / probes in lettuce

We place the sensors / probes in strategic areas that control humidity in real time.

It is enough with a sensor, because the root system of lettuce is short as indicated in the previous irrigation scheme. In other crops it is necessary to measure at different depths.