Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) is an annual vegetable from the Asteraceae family. It is grown in all states of Australia and continents throughout the world, and is consumed mainly as a salad vegetable. The main lettuce production regions in Australia are the Lockyer Valley and Eastern Darling Downs (SE Qld); Hay and Central West (NSW); Lindenow and Robinvale (Vic); Manjimup and Gingin (WA); Virginia (SA) and Cambridge, Richmond and Devonport (Tas).
The purpose of this case study is to project temperature changes in Australian lettuce growing regions and determine the impact of temperature increases on lettuce production.