Pruning
Tomato Production

removing side shoot

Pruning (selective removal of side shoots to limit plant growth) may cause fruit to mature earlier and grow to greater size and uniformity. Pruning improves air circulation within the canopy, which reduces foliar diseases, and facilitates spraying and harvesting.

Indeterminate varieties should always be pruned so they do not produce too much vegetative growth. The degree of pruning varies according to the season.

At AVRDC we prune indeterminate plants to one stem during the cool-dry season and maintain two branches per plant (main branch and second branch below the first fruit cluster) during the hot-wet or hot-dry seasons. Two branches provide more shade to the fruit, thereby reducing sunburn and blotchy ripening.

thinning fruit
If the market prices are greater for larger fruit, it is possible to increase fruit size by keeping four fruits per cluster and pinching off extra flowers and fruits. 
 

 


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