Recommended Citation
Maynard, Elizabeth, "Fresh Market Tomato Cultivar and Pruning Evaluation for Northern Indiana, 2000" (2001). Midwest Vegetable Trial Reports. Paper 82.
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/mwvtr/82
Date of this Version
12-1-2001
Keywords
variety trials, tomatoes, vegetables, Lycopersicon esculentum, Solanum lycopersicum, pruning
Abstract
Fresh market tomatoes were evaluated at the Pinney-Purdue Agricultural Center in Wanatah, Indiana. Nine beefsteak types and one roma type were evaluated in a replicated trial. Plants were grown with and without pruning to evaluate pruning effects on yield and fruit quality. The main benefit of pruning is larger fruit size. For some cultivars, there might be an increase in total yield at the first harvest with pruning, as was seen to a small extent for Mt. Spring. Pruning also reduced the incidence of catfacing, especially for early cultivars. The main drawback of pruning is reduced yield. For pruning to be profitable, the labor cost of pruning and the reduction in total yield must be offset by higher plant populations, higher prices, or other market advantage.
Comments
Originally published in Midwestern Vegetable Variety Trial Report for 2001. Compiled by Mario R. Morales and Liz Maynard. Bulletin No. 808. Dept. of Horticulture and Office of Agricultural Research Programs, Purdue University, W. Lafayette, Indiana. December 2001.