SENSORY QUALITY ATTRIBUTES OF BUTTERHEAD LETTUCE CULTIVARS GROWN IN ARID CONDITIONS

Six butterhead lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) cultivars-'Sorbon'(L2130),'Donatan' (L2694), 'Jessy', 'Aramir', 'Florian', and 'Suzan'-were grown in the central region of Saudi Arabia. Following harvest and yield assessment, individual heads from each cultivar were selected randomly for subjective sensory evaluation. Among the quality attributes evaluated were color, appearance, head firmness, texture, flavor, and freedom from defects. Attributes were highly correlated with overall quality for each cultivar. 'Florian' attributes were ranked high by members of an evaluation panel. In addition, 'Florian' plants were among the highest yielding cultivars. 'Florian' is recommended for its yield and quality features.