A New Good-Quality and High-Yielding Head Lettuce Cultivar, “Pungseong”

Pungseong is a new variety of head lettuce bred through an international collaborative effort between the National Institute of Highland Agriculture(NIHA) and Cornell University. A cross between Montello and Saladcrisp was made and breeding lines were advanced to F5 generation through pedigree selection by the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva, New York, USA. Pungseong was selected among ninety three breeding lines introduced from the international collaborator in 1999. From the regional adaptability test at 4 locations (Gangwon, Chungbook, Gyeongnam, and Jeju) for 3 years, Pungseong outperformed Ulake, the most popular commercial variety in Korea, in general growth, head firmness, and yield. it resists physiological and biotic disorders like bolting and lettuce drop disease. Pungseong is suitable for the spring production in Gyeongnam and Jeju areas.