Abstract
Tomato is one of the most widely consumed and produced vegetables in Ghana. The low yield of tomatoes in Ghana has resulted in huge importation of the produce from neighboring countries. Good agronomic practices are among the key strategies involved in increasing the yield of horticultural produce. This study seeks to evaluate the response of staking and pruning on tomato fruit yield, quality, and cost of production. To achieve this, a field experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of staking and pruning methods on fruit yield and profitability of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) produced in the northern region of Ghana. Treatments were applied in a randomized complete block design with three replications. Treatments were no pruning + no staking (control), single pole staking (SPS), wire trellis (WT), one-stem pruning (1SP), one-stem pruning + single pole staking (1SP + SPS), one-stem pruning + wire trellis (1SP + WT), two-stem pruning (2SP), two-stem pruning + single pole staking (2SP + SPS), and two-stem pruning + wire trellis (2SP + WT). Results showed that 2SP + WT increased fruit diameter, fruit length, and marketable fruit weight by 52%, 32%, and 69%, respectively, compared to the control. The maximum number and weight of marketable fruits obtained from 2SP + WT increased total fruit yield by 76% compared to the control. In all, the performance of the treatments in terms of yield was in the following order: 2SP + WT > 1SP + WT > SPS > WT > 2SP + SPS > 1SP > 2SP > control. Though 2SP + WT increased production cost by 42%, it greatly increased yield by 69% which resulted in 83% net profit compared to the control. Thus, 2SP + WT could be tested on-farm for possible adoption to increase tomato yield, quality, and profit.
Highlights
Tomato is an important component of every Ghanaian meal, and its cultivation contributes significantly to livelihood improvement
Nyankpala is located on latitude 009° 25′ 41′′ N, longitude 000° 58′ 42′′ W, and altitude 183 m above sea level (SARI, 2007). e experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with nine treatments and three replications. ere were a total of twenty-seven (27) experimental plots. e plot size for each experimental unit was 4 m × 3 m with spacing of 1 m between plots and 2 m between blocks
2SP + wire trellising (WT) had the highest (5.1 cm) fruit length compared to the control (2.2 cm) at 9 weeks after transplanting (WAT) (Figure 1)
Summary
Tomato is an important component of every Ghanaian meal, and its cultivation contributes significantly to livelihood improvement. E tomato sector is unable to attain its potential productivity as compared to other countries [4]. E average tomato yield in Ghana is 7.5 t/ha which is far less than the potential yield of 20 tons per hectare [5]. Ghana imports close to 100,000 tons or one-quarter of its domestic supply from a neighboring country (Burkina Faso) to meet the domestic demand [6, 7]. 7,000 tons was imported annually between 2010 and 2016, mostly originating from Burkina Faso [3, 8]. Major contributing factor to the low tomato yield in Ghana is the use of traditional methods of farming or low adoption of improved husbandry practices (such as sustainable staking and pruning)
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