New lettuce varieties add value to fresh-cut sector

Baby leaf lettuces play a key role in the fresh-cut sector. "With our varieties, selected with the needs of growers and distributors in mind, we are ready to contribute to the relaunch of a supply chain with high added value, committed to a path of sustainability that, as we always say, starts from the seed," says Samuele Pellegrini, General Manager of Levantia Seed.

Imperiale.

The upright plant habit, the three-dimensionality of the leaf, its resistance and a seed certified free of Lettuce Mosaic Virus (LMV) are the basic characteristics that unite the lettuce varieties proposed by Levantia Seed, developed to meet the needs of growers of leafy vegetables for the fresh-cut market.

The Venetian seed company's offer is enriched by a new addition for the 2024 campaign, Imperiale, a green lettuce particularly suitable for late spring and summer sowings.

"In last year's pre-commercial field tests in the Sele plain, the Imperiale variety made a strong impression on growers for its performance in the field and its consistent quality," says Giuseppe Picaro, Levantia Seed's sales technician for southern Italy. "It is a successful summer variety."

When it comes to blond lettuce, Victoria is Levantia Seed's flagship variety for this segment. "It can be sown all year round, but especially in the summer period, where its high resistance to the Fusarium virus ensures high yields for growers," emphasizes Pellegrini. "The leaves have an excellent texture, and due to its resistance to temperature changes, there is no yellowing. This means that the color remains even throughout the production."

Victoria.

As far as summer sowings are concerned, the red lettuce Suzan rounds off the offer from Levantia Seed for the summer season. "It is a very productive variety," stresses the managing director, "with a wavy, three-dimensional leaf and excellent coloring right down to the base, which is a peculiar characteristic of Suzan that differentiates it on the market."

Suzan.

Levantia Seed is a professional horticultural seed company based in the northern Italian province of Rovigo, in the heart of the Po Delta Park in Porto Viro. With a wide and varied range of products, the references that distinguish it the most are: pumpkin, chicory, rocket and baby leaf for the fresh-cut, beet and radish, onion and other vegetable references.

The Venetian seed company has a long history of research and experimentation in this field, which has resulted in products for the fresh-cut sector, with rocket and baby lettuce at the top of the range.