Effective January 14, 2004, INCOTEC, Integrated Coating and Seed Technology, Inc., in Salinas, California will be offering Organic XSpecial Lettuce priming.  This new product conforms to the U.S. National Organic Program (NOP) rules and has been approved by the California Crop Improvement Association. 

Organic XSpecial Lettuce is organic lettuce priming available to organic growers who plant raw lettuce seed.  The product has been trialed in Coastal areas of California as well as Yuma, Arizona.  The product is comparable to INCOTEC’s standard XSpecial Lettuce priming.  The Organic XSpecial Lettuce priming is used to break dormancies, increase speed of emergence, and provide better overall uniformity.

Stuart Akers, PhD., Senior Research Specialist, states: “We were extremely pleased with the results of this new priming and we are excited about the opportunities this brings to the organic industry”. 

On the horizon for the organics industry is an Organic OnX Lettuce pellet that can be combined with this organic priming.  Watch for the release in the near future.

INCOTEC is a worldwide leader in coating and seed technology serving the vegetable, ornamental and agronomic seed business.  For more information about INCOTEC, go to www.incotec.com.