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Abstract. Hydroponic lettuce was one of typical vegetables in plant factory, and its production scale is increasing rapidly. In order to extend the preservation time of for sale and thus increase the added value, effect of root lengths on preservation performance for hydroponic lettuce was studied. After that, a root cutting machine for hydroponic lettuce was developed. Four indexes (changes in relative chlorophyll content, changes in color of lettuce leaves, weight loss rate, and sensory quality) were employed to study the effects of different root lengths on hydroponic lettuce fresh-keeping performance, which concluded that keeping the lettuce root length 9 cm was good for lettuce preservation. The root cutting machine was then developed according to the preservation tests. The key components of the root cutting machine including a setting board conveying device, a root cutting device, and a lettuce pulling and carrying device, which were designed though preliminary tests and mechanical analysis. The root cutting machine was manufactured and tested by 90 lettuces which aimed to measure its success rate and operation efficiency. Experimental results showed that the success rate of root cutting was 82% and the operation efficiency for one lettuce was 7.7 s.