Effect of pruning on yield and quality of hydroponically grown cherry tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum)

Abstract

The commercial importance of cherry tomatoes is continuously increasing in the South African retail market, with fruit size playing an important role. The effect of pruning on yield and quality of two cherry tomato cultivars (Naomi and Josefina) with an indeterminate growth habit were investigated in an open bag hydroponic system at ARC-VOPI (25° 59’S ; 28° 35’E) Pretoria. The plants were subjected to three pruning treatments (one, two and three stems) in a complete randomized block design with three replications. Fruit were harvested at the full ripe stage and the fruit number, size and mass, marketable yield and total yield, as well as the total soluble solids (oBrix), were determined for all treatments. An increase in fruit size was evident in plants pruned to a single stem compared to plants pruned to two or three stems in both cultivars. The yield of plants increased with an increase in the number of stems. Cultivar Josefina had a significantly higher marketable yield compared to cultivar Naomi. Regardless of cultivar, pruning to two or three stems was effective in increasing yield and reducing fruit size to a size which is currently more acceptable to the market.