The aim of this work was to compare loose-leaf lettuce cultivars submitted to osmotic stress in nutrient solutions in hydroponic culture. Two experiments were carried out, with electric conductivity of 2.0 or 2.5 dS m-1. The treatments were the cultivars Babá de Verão, Floresta, Luisa, Manoa, Regina 579, Saia Véia, and Vitória Verdinha. The experimental design was randomized blocks with three replications. Harvest was performed 45 days after sowing. None among the cultivars differed clearly on the characteristics evaluated. However, "Manoa" showed the highest rate of leaf-edge burning, without significant difference in comparison to "Saia Véia" and "Babá de Verão" for summer. The cultivars Regina 579 and Vitória Verdinha are preferred by the growers of hydroponic vegetables of Pernambuco, due to the lack of better genotypes for this type of cultivation and due to the presence of smooth slightly-wrinkled leaves with soft texture.
Lactuca sativa L; tipburn; hydroponics
