Agriculture, Fisheries and Aquaculture - Evaluation of the Anchorage Variety of Iceberg Lettuce Versus the Traditional Varieties, Calmar and Gemini

Abstract: In 1998, a test was done at Ferme Ortico Ltée in Saint-Irenée, N.B., to evaluate a new variety of iceberg lettuce (Anchorage) compared with two (2) other varieties more commonly used in the mineral soils of the Atlantic provinces. This commercial-scale test failed to show that the Anchorage variety offered any advantages compared with the other two varieties (Calmar and Gemini). On the average for the six (6) harvests, 45.5% of the Anchorage lettuce was marketable, compared with 63.9% for the Calmar variety and 27.4% for the Gemini variety. The Anchorage variety's limited root system no doubt had a negative impact on its growth, since it was grown in a sandy soil of average fertility. In the subsequent harvests, a significant increase in the percentage of lettuce affected by disease was observed in all three (3) varieties evaluated. The Calmar variety showed superior characteristics, mainly owing to its size, which easily attained market standards. However, under the growing conditions used, none of the varieties yielded a high enough percentage of marketable lettuce to be viable as a cash crop.

¹Tracadie-Sheila, NB