Little gem lettuce is often described as a cross between romaine and butter lettuce. These mini romaine types produce compact hearts with tender sweet leaves, perfect for side salads or wrap substitutes. Harvested as hearts or used as loose leaves in processing, these varieties are versatile and a good addition to any speciality lettuce range. Growers must bear in mind that little gem varieties are fast maturing and have to be cut as soon as they are mature due to their limited field holding capacity. Starke Ayres is proud to be joining this segment with the introduction of a new variety, TYROS. TYROS has proven itself in multiple on- and offstation trials covering varying seasons, climates and production methods. Excellent year-round results were seen. Its’ thick, dark green leaves combined with excellent uniformity results in above-average heart weight and marketable pack-out percentages. All this is achieved while the heart remains compact enough to remain within the size specifications required by chain stores and markets. The leaves separate easily with an attractive internal leaf colour and quality, making TYROS ideal not only for packing as hearts but also for use in leaf mixes and pillow packs. TYROS has shown strong tipburn tolerance in the trials. Combined with high resistance to most strains of bremia (bl: 16-37) and intermediate resistance to Lettuce Mosaic Virus (LMV:1) TYROS is sure to give the grower the best chance possible of a successful crop under high disease pressure situations. Starke Ayres is very excited about this new addition and is looking forward to continued growth into new segments of the lettuce market. For more information and pricing on Tyros contact your local sales representative or customer services.
