PERFORMANCE OF LETTUCE UNDER INFLUENCE OF DIFFERENT SOIL COVERS AND PLANTING SPACING

Lettuce cultivation is an activity of great economic importance; therefore, the use of techniques for better use of space and better-growing conditions should be evaluated. The objective of this study was to evaluate the development and yield of garden lettuce grown under different soil coverings and plant spacing. The study was conducted in an experimental area located at the School of Agronomy of the Federal University of Goias, in the city of Goiânia, Goias. The experiment was conducted in a randomized block design with subdivided plots in four replications. The plots consisted of three soil coverings (soil without cover, straw, and plastic cover) and the subplots in three planting spacing (PS1 = 25 x 20; PS2 = 25 x 25; PS3 = 25 x 30 cm), totaling nine treatments. The evaluations occurred when the plants presented their complete development, being evaluated: plant diameter, fresh head mass, stem mass, number of leaves, stem height; stem diameter; relative chlorophyll index; yield; and utilization, corresponding to the percentage of fresh marketable mass. It was found that the use of soil cover can favor the densification of lettuce cultivation. For cultivation on soil without cover or with the use of plastic as a cover, the cultivation spacing must be greater.