Influence of different pruning regimes on yield and quality of cherry and cluster tomatoes

This study investigated the effects of divergent pruning methods on fruit quality and yield of organically grown cherry tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum L. var. cerasiforme cv. ‘Forty F1’) and cluster tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum L. cv. ‘Climbo F1’). The pruning treatments were: T1 (control), standard pruning practices for tomatoes with pruning of axillary side shoots and old leaves plus fruit thinning (only on cluster variety); T2 involved T1 practices plus pruning all leaves below the previous cluster after the first fruit appeared on the cluster; T3 involved T1 practices plus removal of a single leaf between clusters, and T4, T5 and T6, involved pruning practices described in T1, T2 and T3, respectively, in combination with sucker pruning (sprout stage). For cherry tomatoes, the highest values were recorded for T4 for plant height and stem diameter, T1 for photosynthesis and colouration rates, T4 for number of fruits, T5 for number of clusters, T3 for SSC, T5 for vitamin C, T1 for total phenolics, FRAP and DPPH and T2 for total flavonoids and lycopene. In the cluster tomatoes, the highest values were recorded for T2 for leaf dry weight, T3 for leaf chlorophyll, T1 for stomatal conductance, T6 for firmness, and T5 for titratable acidity. T4 achieved the highest yield for cluster tomatoes (3.37 kg plant−1), while for cherry tomatoes the highest yields were obtained with T1 and T4 (1.91 and 1.89 kg plant−1, respectively). The T4 treatment combining control (T1) and sucker pruning was found to be superior in terms of yield and quality.