Comparison of quality parameters of non-pelleted and newly developed pelleted lettuce seed

Lettuce is one of the most common types of leafy vegetables in human diet that is grown worldwide. Narrow and very small seeds make its sowing very difficult, requiring a lot of time and labour. Also, plants produced by manual sowing are often characterized by uneven germination. Those problems could be prevented by sowing pelleted seeds which require the development of adequate pelleting technology. Absence of quality lettuce seeds in the Serbian market results in large amounts of imported pelleted seeds every year. The aim of this study was to develop a domestic pelleting procedure and examine its effects on seeds quality parameters, in order to provide seeds to local farmers at a more affordable price compared to imported commercial pelleted seeds. Pelleted and non-pelleted seeds of the Panukia F1 hybrid were compared in several quality characteristics (1000 seed weight, germination energy, germination percentage, seedling length) in laboratory and greenhouse conditions. There was no loss in seed quality with the pelleting process, although the seed weight increased 12-19 times. Pelleted lettuce seeds had very high germination energy and seed germination (97-98%). In greenhouse conditions, non-pelleted seeds sprouted unevenly in relation to pelleted seeds. These results confirm the advantages of sowing pelleted seeds in terms of uniform germination and development of lettuce plants, primarily due to the precision of mechanical sowing. By offering domestic pelleting lettuce seeds to the growers, the production process would be significantly improved and accelerated with the reduction of manual labour, and therefore the overall production cost.