The growth of lettuce cvs. Veronica, Marisa and Regina was analised through an experiment carried out under plastic greenhouse and under field conditions, from April 15th to June 03rd 1999, in Eldorado do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil. Sampling of plants started one week after transplanting and proceeded until the end of the plant cycle on a weekly basis. The lettuce cultivated under greenhouse presented more fresh and dry mass, leaf area, specific leaf area and greater number of leaves. In addition, plants cultivated under greenhouse presented a shorter cycle when compared to the plants cultivated in field conditions. The cvs. did not show any difference when cultivated under greenhouse environment, but, in field conditions, the cv. Regina presented a larger number of leaves and a larger leaf area index than the cultivars Marisa and Veronica.
Lactuca sativa L.; plastic greenhouse; fresh matter; dry matter
