Abstract:
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
