Reducing tipburn in lettuce with YaraVita STOPIT

The second harvest of lettuce is underway in most of our region and the windy and cloudy weather conditions at this time of the year make the lettuce crop more susceptible to yield and quality issues. Tipburn is one of the main lettuce quality problems and it is caused by calcium deficiencies in growing tissues. Calcium mostly moves in the transpirational flow in the plant and temporary calcium deficiency may occur when transpiration is reduced due to overcast weather conditions and low evapotranspiration.

Tipburn can occur even if calcium levels in the soil are sufficient but the plants do not take up adequate calcium from the soil. When this happens, foliar sprays of calcium applied directly to the leaf tissue are a good tool to supply calcium and reduce tipburn. Trials conducted in open field iceberg lettuce in Spain showed that applying YaraVita STOPIT reduced the incidence of tipburn and increased lettuce yield and quality.

Influence of YaraVita STOPIT on tipburn of lettuce (trial plots, Spain)

Foliar sprays ensure precise application of the right nutrients at the right time, and can be precisely targeted to the lettuce leaf. YaraVita STOPIT provides calcium for immediate uptake by the leaves satisfying the crop need regardless of the soil type or growing conditions.

There is a high variability of calcium content within the lettuce plant. In head lettuce, calcium is carried to the outer leaves in preference to the inner leaves (inner leaves transpire much less than wrapper leaves). As a result, the tissue inside the head is more susceptible to tipburn.

The third planting of lettuce in our region is about to start and one proactive measure to reduce or eliminate tipburn is to start calcium applications early so that the young leaves are well supplied with calcium. YaraVita STOPIT can be applied 2 to 3 times during the growing cycle of lettuce beginning at 10 to 14 days after transplanting or emergence and 14 day intervals between applications.

If you would like more information or you are interested in trying YaraVita STOPIT in your lettuce field with us please contact your local Yara representative.