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LETTUCE (Lactuca sativa) GREEN ICE var. PRODUCTION ENTERPRISE

Aprille Rose D. Bacos

Kane Terrenz D. Roderos

An undergraduate entrepreneurship report submitted to the faculty of the Department of

the Agricultural Entrepreneurship College of Agriculture, Food, Environment and
Natural Resource Cavite State University, Indang, Cavite in partial fulfillment of the
requirements for the degree of Bachelor in Agricultural Entreprenuership (Major in Crop
Production) with Contribution No. ______. Prepared under the supervision of Ms.
Abigail P. Daria.

INTRODUCTION

Lettuce is considered as one of the most important salad crops in the Philippines.

It grows in places that are generally low and climate is distinctly cool. It is easily affected

by high temperature, so it should be carefully managed especially the vegetative growth

because it is essential for the attainment of satisfactory growth, development and head

yield. Beside temperature this crop is much affected by the cultural practices, affecting

growth and yield with the application of organic matter. (Jerry, 2002)

Lettuce (Lactuca sativa) is an annual plant of the daisy family, Asteraceae. It is

most often grown as a leaf vegetable, but sometimes for its stem and seeds. Lettuce is

most often used for salads, although it is also seen in other kinds of food, such as soups,

sandwiches and wraps; it can also be grilled. Green Ice is one of the crispest, most

satisfying loose-leaf lettuces you can grow. The leaves are glossy, dark green, and
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savoyed, giving them extra-crunchy texture in every bite. Ready in just 45 days, they are

among the earliest, yet last well into summer, thanks to superior heat tolerance.

Lettuce is adapted to cool growing conditions with optimum temperature for

growth of 60 to 65˚F. At 70 to 80˚F the plants flower and produce seed. Lettuce can

tolerate a few days of temperatures from 80 to 85˚F, provide that nights are cool. Lettuce

seed will germinate at 35°F, but optimum germination is 70 to 75°F. If the plants are

sufficiently hardened, they will withstand freezing. Repeated exposure to subfreezing

temperatures, however, can seriously injure or kill the crop. Lettuce has a relatively high

water requirement. Soil moisture shortage rainfall will seriously stunt growth and head

quality. Irrigation greatly reduces risk of crop failure. (Douglas Sanders, 2001)
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Nature of the Project

The title of the Entrepreneurial Development Project was Lettuce Production

Enterprise. This project was a partnership type of business. This was conducted by Ms.

Aprille Rose D. Bacos and Mr. Kane Terrenz D. Roderos, students of Bachelor in

Agricultural Entrepreneurship, Major in Crop Production in Cavite State University. The

project offered fresh and marketable lettuce.

Objectives of the Project

The project aimed to:

1. apply the skills and knowledge in production of lettuce

2. determine the profitability of lettuce production enterprise, and

3. gain income from lettuce production enterprise.

Time and Place of the Project

The Lettuce Production Enterprise was conducted at Buna Cerca Indang, Cavite

from December 2018 to April 2019.

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DESCRIPTION OF THE ENTERPISE

Location and Lay-out of the Project

The area was located at Buna Cerca, Indang Cavite. (Figure 1).The

Entrepreneurial Development Project involved production area of 302.5sqm of Lettuce

(Lactuca sativa) with a plot size of 1m x 11m and 0.50m between plots. The planting

distance of lettuce plants was 20cm x 20cm. (Figure 2). The production area was co-

mposed of 18 plots with 275 plants per plot. The total number of lettuce was 4,950 plants.

Organization and Management

The student entrepreneurs Mr. Kane Terrenz D. Roderos and Ms. Aprille Rose D.

Bacos were responsible for the overall activities of Lettuce production enterprise

including the financial aspect, record keeping, production and marketing of lettuce.

(Figure 3).

Timetable of Activities

The Entrepreneurial Development Project started on last week of December 2018.

The activities that were performed in production were procurement of supplies and tools,

site clearing, land preparation, preparation of potting media, seed sowing, transplanting,

application of concoctions, application of wood vinegar, pest and disease management,

weeding and watering. Harvesting, post-harvest handling and marketing were included in

the post-production activities. (Figure 4).

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Figure 1: Location of the Project

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Figure 2. Lay-out of the Project

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11m
0.5m

1m
0.5m

Lettuce (Lactuca sativa) Green Ice var. Production

Enterprise

Aprille Rose Bacos &

Kane Terrenz D. Roderos

27.5 m

Financial aspect and record In charged in production

keeping of the project activities of the project

6 Laborers
Site clearing, Land and Plot

Preparation and Transplanting

Figure 3. Organizational Chart

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Production

Pre-production Activities

During the pre-production period, the student entrepreneurs prepared the

necessary capital to purchase the supplies and materials required in the project.

Procurement of Supplies and Materials

Seeds of lettuce, seed trays, sprinkler, sprayer, hoe, bolo, rake, gardening shovel,

hose and drum were purchased at M.C Enterprise in #70 Brgy. Mendez Crossing West,

Tagaytay City. Vermicast was bought from Silan Farm, Tambong Kulit, Indang, Cavite

(Appendix Figure 1).

Production Activities

Site Clearing. This project was started on the last week of December 2018. They

hired 2 laborers to clean the area. The total production area was 302.5sqm. It was cleaned

using hoe, rake and bolo. All the unwanted things in the production area were removed

(Appendix Figure 2).

Land Preparation. Student entrepreneurs rent a tractor to further pulverized the

soil and make it suitable for plot preparation (Appendix Figure 3).

Plot Preparation. The student entrepreneurs used hoe and straw to make and

layout the plot. The project has a total of 18 plots and the size of each plot was 1m x 11m

with .5 m between plots (Appendix Figure 4).

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Preparation of sowing media. The sowing media was composed of 25 kilograms

of carbonized rice hull and 25 kilograms of vermicast and were mixed with the ratio of

1:1 (Appendix Figure 5).

Sowing of Seeds. The first batch of lettuce seeds were sown on the 12 th day of

January 2019 with the total number of 11 seed trays, while the 13 seed trays used for

January 26, 2019 which was the second batch and for the last batch they used 15 seed

trays for March 14, 2018 (Appendix Figure 6).

Application of Vermicast. The student entrepreneurs used gardening shovel and

weighing scale to measure and apply the vermicast in the soil to increase the nutrients,

with a ratio of 1kg per square meter (Appendix Figure 7).

Transplanting. The lettuce seedlings were transplanted to the plots with the

planting distance of 20 cm x 20 cm 2 weeks after sowing. First batch of lettuce was

transplanted in the 5 plots, second batch transplanted in 6 plots and the third batch was in

7 plots (Appendix Figure 8).

Application of Concoction. Fermented Plant Juice (FPJ) and Calcium Phosphate

(Calphos) were applied two weeks after transplanting and were done twice a week. The

10 ml of Fermented Plant Juice and 10ml of Calcium Phosphate were diluted to 1000 ml

of water. Concoction was applied using a 150 ml can of sardines per plant (Appendix

Figure 9).

Application of wood vinegar. After two weeks of transplanting, a 10ml wood

vinegar was diluted to 1000ml of water and applied once a week. Wood vinegar was
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applied using a 150 ml can of sardines. The student entrepreneurs applied wood vinegar

to ensure that the lettuce plants will avoid the possible pests (Appendix Figure 10).

Pest and disease management. Common pests in the production of lettuce were Army

worm (Spodoptera frugiperda) and Looper (Chrysodeixis includens), these pests affects

the middle part of lettuce plants. The pests were controlled by hand picking and for the

resistant of the plants. The student entrepreneurs applied wood vinegar to avoid pest.

Bottom rot was the disease of lettuce plants that student entrepreneur’s encountered

during the production (Appendix Figure 11).

Weeding. Amaranth plant (Amaranthus spinosus), Sensitive plant (Mimosa

pudica) and Napier grass (Pennisetum purpureum) were the common weeds that they

encountered in the production. They used gardening shovel to cultivate the soil and to

removed the roots of the weeds (Appendix Figure 12).

Watering. Lettuce plants were watered twice a day, early in the morning and late

in the afternoon using sprinklers (Appendix Figure 13).

Post-production Activities

Harvesting. Lettuce plants were ready to harvest 45 days after sowing to prevent

bitterness of the plant. First batch of lettuce gain 58kg (5 plots), while on the second plot

it contains 135 kilograms of lettuce (6 plots), and third batch was 101 kilograms of

lettuce plants (7 plots) (Appendix Figure 14).

Post-harvest handling. Lettuce plants were subjected to sorting and grading right

after harvesting. After harvesting lettuce, it was sorted and graded into marketable and
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unmarketable product. The marketable lettuce was washed and cleaned in tap water one

by one and then soak in the container with water to assured that it was clean. Finally,

packed into plastic (plastic labo), each plastic consists ¼ kilogram of lettuce (Appendix

Figure 15).

Marketing. The produced lettuce were promoted through social media and public

places like market, municipality, and schools of Indang and Mendez. The lettuce was sold

at the price of Php 120.00 per kilogram, Php 70.00 for ½ kilogram, and Php 35.00 per ¼

kilogram (Appendix Figure 16).

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Table 1. Cost of Supplies

Item Quantity Price Cost

Seeds 1 can 300 300

Seed Trays 28 36 29.4

Carbonized Rice Hull 1 sack 20 20

Vermicast 4 sacks 400 1,600

Fermented Plant Juice 15L 100/L 1,400

Calphos 15L 10nb0/L 1,500

Wood Vinegar 8L 100/L 700

Plastic (Labo) 8/pack 35/pack 280

Plastic Straw 1 55/pack 55

Container 2 35 0.88

Total Cost Php 5, 885.28

Table 2. Cost of Tools (Depreciated)

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Item Quantity Price/Unit Cost

Sprinkler 2 180 30

Sprayer 2 40 0.17

Hoe 1 329 0.47

Bolo 1 160 0.22

Rake 1 280 0.39

Gardening Shovel 1 80 1

Hose 1 1050 87.5

Drum (Small) 1 1050 87.5

Drum (Large) 1 4,000 222.22

Weighing scale 1 500 3.47

Total Cost Php 432.94

Table 3. Cost of Labor

No. of Labors Total Hours Cost

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Site Clearing 2 16 1,400

Land Preparation 1 1 43.75

Plot Preparation 2 5 437.5

Preparation of sowing media 2 2 175

Seed Sowing 2 4 350

Application of Vermicast 1 3 131.25

Transplanting 3 9 1,181.25

Application of Concoction 2 6 525

Application of Wood Vinegar 1 5 218.75

Weeding 2 6 525

Watering 1 105 4,593.75

Harvesting 2 8 700

Post Harvest Handling 2 18 1, 575

Marketing 2 10 875

Total Cost Php 12, 731. 25

Table 4. Other Cost

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Expense Cost

Transportation 600

Water 400

Land Rent 0.03% 571. 48

Total Cost Php 1, 571. 48

Table 5. Total Cost of Production

Cost

Cost Of Supplies Php 5, 885. 28

Cost of Tools Php 432. 94

Cost of Labor Php 12, 731. 25

Other Expenses Php 1, 571.48

Total Cost Php 20, 620.95

Table 6. Statement of Income

Produce Price (P) Income

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294kg 120 P35, 280.00

Gross Income Php 35, 280.00

Net Income Php 14, 659.5

Return on Investment 71.09%

Table 7. Break-even analysis

Break-even per kilo = Total Cost of Production

Selling Price

Php 20, 620. 95

120 per kilo

Break-even price yield per kilo = 171. 84

Break-even price = Total Cost of Production

Total kilo of harvest

Php 20, 620. 95

294kg

Break-even price = Php 70.14

Gross Income = P35, 280.00

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Net Income = Gross Income – Total Cost of Production

= Php 35, 280.00– Php 20, 620.95

= Php 14, 659.5

Table 8. Return on Investment (ROI)

Net Income
x 100%
Total Cost of Production

Php 14, 659.5

x 100%
Php 20, 620.95

ROI: 71.09%

FINANCIAL ANALYSIS

The total cost of materials used in lettuce production was Php 6, 933.00. The total

cost of tools Php 546.31, then the total cost of labor on 350 minimum wages was Php 12,

425.00 and for the other expenses was Php 1, 597.00. Therefore, the total cost of

production was Php 21, 501. 44. The total sales for the lettuce production was Php 35,

280. 00 and the net income after this production was Php 13, 778. 57 which had return on

investment of 71.09%.
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PLANS

The student entrepreneurs planned to continue this type of small scale business of

organic farming which includes same practices to have a source of income. The student

entrepreneurs were willing to expand their small scale into large scale of business if they

have more contract buyer that leads to have a bigger income. The students were planning

to take NC II in organic farming to develop their skills and knowledge that they use in

this business.
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PROBLEMS, SOLUTION AND INSIGHTS

Problems and Solutions

The major problems that were encountered during the production of lettuce were

the limited water supply and intense heat. There were times they cannot performed

watering. The only available time of the hose was 3:00 in the afternoon the student

entrepreneurs needed to wait until 8:30pm to 9:00pm to make sure that all drums have
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water for tomorrow. The intense heat of sunlight also caused the impossibility of plants to

survive. They needed to sow again and to replant the lettuce that lost and performed

watering more often. The minor problem was the presence of common pest such as

loopers (Trichoplusia ni) and army worm (Spodoptera frugiperda) which damaged the

middle part of the plant. These pests were controlled manually by hand picking and

application of wood vinegar. The last is weeds, like Makahiya (Mimosa pudica), Uray

(amaranthus spinosus) and Napier grass (Pennisetum purpureum), these are the common

weeds that’s appeared in the plots. They were controlled manually by handpicking and

cultivation of soils to remove the excess root of weeds.

Insights

The entrepreneurial development project gave the student entrepreneurs the idea

on how lettuce production enterprise was efficient as a business. They saw the production

was profitable as long as you have knowledge, skills, and passion and make sure that you

have a contract buyer or customers to market it easy. During this production the student

entrepreneurs were able to learn how to engage organic farming that was good in leafy

vegetables that’s why they achieved their objectives.

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION

Summary

The entrepreneurial development project was conducted at Buna Cerca Indang,

Cavite. The project started on December 2018 and ended on April 2019. The total land

area was 302.5sqm. It consists of 18 plots with the total number of 4,950 plants planted.

The width is 27.5m while the length is 11m.

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The student entrepreneurs prepared the necessary capital to purchase the supplies

and materials involve in the project and procurement of the materials was prepared in the

pre-production activity.

Site clearing, land preparation, preparation of potting media, seed sowing,

transplanting, application of concoctions, application of wood vinegar, pest and disease

management, weeding and watering were performed in production activities.

The harvesting, post-harvest handling and the marketing were included in the

post-production activities. In 4,950 lettuce plants a total of 294 kilograms of lettuce were

harvested. The student entrepreneurs earned a total of Php 35, 280.00 gross income and

Php 14, 659.5 net income with the return on investment of 71.09%.
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Conclusion

Lettuce Production Enterprise was a good training ground for student

entrepreneurs who wanted to raise a business. They were able to handle a small scale

business by enhancing their knowledge and skills that were learned about Lettuce

Production during entrepreneurial project. The entrepreneur students were able to achieve

their objectives on how to apply the skills and knowledge in production of lettuce,

determine the profitability of lettuce production enterprise which the return on investment

was 71.09%, and gain income from lettuce production enterprise. This project had a Php

35, 280.00 gross income and Php 14, 659.00 net inome. Through these they were able to

resolve all those problems they encountered during in production of lettuce such as lack

of water supply, presence of common pests and common weeds.

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APPENDIX FIGURES
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Appendix Figure 1. Procurement of Supplies and tools

Appendix Figure 2. Site clearing

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Appendix Figure 3. Land Preparation of the area using tractor

Appendix Figure 4. Plot Preparation

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Appendix Figure 5. Preparation of Sowing media

Appendix Figure 6. Sowing of Seeds

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Appendix Figure 7. Application of Vermicast

Appendix Figure 8. Transplanting

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Appendix Figure 9. Applcation of Concoction

Appendix Figure 10. Applcation of Wood Vinegar

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Appendix Figure 11. Pest and Disease management

Appendix Figure 12. Weeding

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Appendix Figure 13. Waterinng

Appendix Figure 14. Harvesting

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Appendix Figure 15. Post-harvest Handling

Appendix Figure 16. Marketing

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Appendix Figure 17. Farm Visitation

Appendix Figure 18. The Student Entrepreneurs

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Appendix Figure 19. Student Entrepreneurs with their EDP Adviser and Technical Critic