Influence on growth conditions on the value of crisphead lettuce. 2. Weight losses during storage as affected by nitrogen, plant age and cooling system.

Abstract

Storage of crisphead lettuce was carried out at 1 degrees C in an ordinary cold storage room and in an ice bank cooling system. The plants were grown at three plantings at 50, 100, 150 and 200 kg total nitrogen supply per hectare and harvested at two or three different plant ages. The cultivars used were 'Marius' and 'Saladin'. The aim of the experiment was to prolong the storage and to reduce the losses. After 14 days of storage the greatest total weight losses were found at the mid-season planting whereas the least total weight loss was found at the late planting. Ice bank cooling at all plantings reduced the total weight loss in comparison to the cold storage. The effect of nitrogen and cultivar was low. The total weight loss defined as loss due to transpiration and trimming was neither related to the head weight nor the surface area of the heads. A reduced loss with increasing plant age was not a question of increased transpiration due to surface to volume ratio changes, but may be related to other factors. A lower average total weight loss was found in the ice bank cooling system compared to the cold storage. The explanation of this might be the existence of a high relative humidity in the ice bank storage. To reduce the total weight loss harvest must take place at the right plant age. No definite growth stage was defined here, but the plants must have reached marketable quality as the young plants are more susceptible to weight loss during storage. It seems likely that some unknown internal factors in the plant were involved in reduction of the total weight loss.