This technology covers the seeds, plants, and breeding methods for 'Ojeong19' (KCTC19246P), a new butterhead lettuce variety developed by crossing the 'Cherna Gyumyurdzinska' line as the female parent and 'Eline' as the male parent, followed by generations of selection and stabilization.
With the rising demand for salads, imports of head lettuce and salad lettuce seeds surged from $2.03 million in 2023 to $2.94 million in 2024, highlighting a heavy reliance on foreign butterhead varieties. Domestic breeding has historically focused on yield and stress resistance, often overlooking quality traits like leaf sweetness that drive consumer preference. Furthermore, butterhead lettuce is sensitive to high temperatures during harvest, leading to poor heading and premature bolting, which compromises both quality and yield.
This technology involves selecting individuals with superior growth and marketability from the F1 generation, and those with ideal butter-type phenotypes, head density, and leaf yield from the F2 generation. These were then repeatedly cultivated until the F4 generation to ensure genetic stability. As a result, 'Ojeong19' features darker, thicker green leaves compared to the 'Green Ball Butterhead' control variety, with a leaf sweetness of 2.20–2.38 Brix, a weight of 336–435g per plant, and 20–27 leaves forming a large, dense head. Suitable for packaged salad production and high-quality greenhouse cultivation, this domestic variety can replace imported seeds and boost farm income with its superior sweetness and size.
This invention was developed with support from the Ministry of Science and ICT for the development of bolting-resistant lettuce through genetic analysis of the reproductive growth transition phase.
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