Influence of Stage and Intensity of Truss Pruning on Fruit Yield and Quality of Tomato (Solanum lycopersiconL.)Under Field Condition at Melkassa

The influence of stage and intensity of truss pruning on yield and quality of tomato (Solanum lycopersicon L.) was investigated in the open field at Melkassa Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research Center. Three stages of pruning (bud, anthesis, fruit set) and four levels of pruning (control, one-truss, two-truss and three-truss) were arranged in RCBD with three replications. Total leaf area, number of flower per truss, fruit set percentage, individual fruit fresh weight, individual fruit dry weight, Fruit dry weight per plant, pericarp thickness, total soluble solids content were significantly affected by the interaction effects of stage and intensity of truss pruning. On the other hand the interaction effect was not significant for marketable, unmarketable, and total fruit yield per plant and hectare. Stage of pruning also did not show a significant effect for marketable, unmarketable, and total fruit yield per plant and hectare. Increasing the level of pruning decreased both marketable and total fruit yield while increasing the unmarketable yield. Removing the truss at bud or anthesis stage encouraged fruit with larger diameter than removing them at fruit set stage. Fruit diameter significantly increased with increasing level of pruning. Increasing the intensity of pruning resulted also in fruit with significantly higher pH compared to the control. Tomato fruit with the highest total solids content was obtained when two trusses were removed at bud stage. In general the study revealed that truss pruning significantly improves fruit quality of tomato but reduced the yield. Since, the experiment was conducted for one season at one locationit is difficult to give a clear cut recommendation when and at what intensity the pruning should regulate fruit size and improve fruit yield. To give a tangible conclusion, it is very crucial that further study should be conducted on other improved tomato varieties to determine the effect of pruning