Enhancing quality and yield of cherry tomatoes in hydroponic systems through stem pruning

A field experiment was conducted in the semi-greenhouse at the Horticulture Farm of Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka 1207, Bangladesh, during October 2019 to March 2020 to improve yield and quality of cherry tomato cultivation through stem pruning in hydroponic culture. The experiment consisted of three level of pruning viz. P₀= No pruning; P₁ = One time stem pruning and P₂ = Two times stem pruning and four different cherry tomato varieties viz. V₁= BARI Tomato-11; V₂= BARI Tomato-20; V₃= Red Star F₁ and V₄ = SAU Tomato-2. There were 12 treatment combinations and experiment were setup in two factors Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with three replications. For pruning, maximum fruit number per plant (263.33), fruit length (2.45 cm), fruit diameter (2.45 cm), highest single fruit weight (9.31 g), yield plant^-1 (2.37 kg) and TSS (9.46 degrees Brix) were obtained from P₂ treatment at 60 DAT. Similarly, in case of varieties, maximum fruit number per plant (257.82), fruit length (2.44 cm), diameter (2.01 cm), highest single fruit weight (8.50 g), yield per plant (2.63 kg) and TSS (8.92 degrees Brix) were obtained from V₂ treatment at 60 DAT. In combined effect, maximum fruit number per plant (302.77), fruit length (2.60 cm), diameter (2.20 cm), highest single fruit weight (12.42 g), yield per plant (2.98 kg) and TSS (10.53 degrees Brix) were obtained from V₂P₂ treatment. Among the treatment combination, V₂P₂ (BARI Tomato-20 variety with two times stem pruning) treatment seemed to be more promising for obtaining higher yield of cherry tomato. Among the treatment combination, V₂P₂ (BARI Tomato-20 variety with two times stem pruning) treatment seemed to be more promising for obtaining higher yield and quality of cherry tomato.

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