Worldwide range of successful varieties

Lettuce is an increasingly important leaf vegetable worldwide.
It is used as a standard ingredient in a healthy, fresh-food diet.

Rijk Zwaan is one of the leading lettuce-breeding companies in the world.
A dedicated team of people is putting a lot of research and breeding efforts in developing new, improved and healthier varieties. Adapted to all growing conditions, and market demands.

In this catalogue you can find a whole range of types such as;
Lollo Bionda, Lollo Rossa, Oakleaf lettuce, Butterhead, Iceberg, Cos and Batavia lettuce.

All varieties of these types have been carefully selected on quality, vigour and a wide pattern of
disease resistance such as Bremia lactucae (Downy mildew), Lettuce mosaic virus,
Pemphigus bursarius (Root aphid) and Nasonovia ribisnigri (Current Lettuce aphid).

Lettuce is increasingly used as a convenience vegetable for processing and as a trendy vegetable for the consumer market.

The innovative breeding of Rijk Zwaan resulted in a specific range of varieties to satisfy the need of the new salad users resulting in the Salanova® lettuce range.

This lettuce can be classed as the ‘one cut ready‘ lettuce.
By cutting off the base, the lettuce separates into equally-sized, ready-to-eat leaves.

Choosing the lettuce varieties of Rijk Zwaan will offer you a wide range of innovative varieties with an excellent quality and reliable yield potential.





Goodbye lettuce aphid!

The scientific name for the currant lettuce aphid is Nasonovia ribisnigri. Rijk Zwaan was the first seed breeding company in the world to come up, through conventional/ traditional breeding, with lettuce, resistant to Nasonovia ribisnigri (Nr). This Nr-resistant lettuce is now used by many growers, processors and supermarket chains, as the currant lettuce aphid is a pest which is very difficult to control chemically. This applies even more to iceberg lettuce because of its very tight structure: a chemical pesticide has great difficulty in reaching the heart of the lettuce. Other Rijk Zwaan lettuce types now also have Nr-resistant varieties like, for instance, Butterhead lettuce, red and green Oakleaf lettuce, Cos lettuce, Lollo Rossa and Lollo Bionda and Batavia lettuce.


In 2007, currant lettuce aphid populations, able to survive on Nr-resistant varieties, were detected in several regions in four European countries (France, Germany, Belgium and Austria). The official authority for variety registration in the Netherlands, Naktuinbouw, confirmed these findings using a laboratory test. These populations were named Nasonovia ribisnigri biotype 1 (Nr:1).

In 2008, lettuce aphid populations were monitored by breeding companies to evaluate the occurrence of the Nr:1 biotype. The Nr:1 biotype was discovered in all regions where aphids had been detected in 2007. An extension of the Nr:1 biotype was detected in two new areas in Germany. The presence of the Nr:1 biotype was also reported in three countries where it had not been observed in 2007: the Netherlands (two areas), Switzerland (one area) and the UK (two areas).

Breeding companies emphasise that a healthy integrated pest management approach combines the use of resistant varieties with hygiene measures and some level of chemical control. Combining different types of measures minimises the risk of developing new biotypes which might break through the resistance. In order to avoid the quick spread of the aforementioned aphid populations it is recommended that appropriate measures be taken to minimise the risk of spreading.

Disease Resistance Codes:
Bl = Bremia lactucae (Downy mildew)
LMV = Lettuce Mosaic Virus
Nr :0 = main biotype of Nasonovia ribisnigri (Currant lettuce aphid)
Pb = Pemphigus bursarius (Lettuce Root Aphid)