Rubette

Stable Yields Without Extra Effort

For those professionally involved in lettuce production, the Rubette variety from Rijk Zwaan has long been a go-to benchmark. As a classic leaf-type lettuce, it consistently delivers excellent results in both open fields and polytunnels. Its main advantage for an agronomist is predictability: you know exactly when harvesting begins and exactly what the market quality will be.

Genetics That Actually Work

When working with lettuce, the primary risk is disease pressure that can destroy a crop in days. Rubette makes life significantly easier for the grower due to its robust genetic resistance:

• High-level resistance to Downy Mildew (Bremia lactucae), which is crucial for managing humidity-related risks.
• Resistance to Lettuce Mosaic Virus, ensuring leaf integrity and perfect texture right up to the packaging stage.

Field Performance

The plant forms a neat, compact rosette. In field conditions, this translates into ease of mechanized harvesting and simplified plant density management. The leaves possess a pleasant, crispy texture that holds up well during transport—a key factor for retail environments where shelf appeal is paramount. Rubette is forgiving regarding minor irrigation scheduling errors and does not bolt prematurely, providing a 3-5 day window for harvest without compromising quality.

For the farmer, this means minimal expenditure on fungicides and a stable yield of marketable heads per square meter. Rijk Zwaan has once again proven its status as a breeder that creates reliable workhorses for commercial vegetable production, rather than just aesthetics for a seed catalog.