Response of Cherry Tomato to Irrigation Levels and Fruit Pruning under Greenhouse Conditions

A greenhouse study was conducted to evaluate the response of cherry tomato cultivar Dulcito RZ to different irrigation levels and fruit pruning treatments. Treatments were three irrigation levels [50, 75, and 100%, based on the crop Evapotranspiration (ETc)], and three fruit pruning treatments (6, 8, and 10 fruits truss-1). Results showed that the highest irrigation level (100% ETc) increased fruit weight and size, and total and marketable yield. However, water stress treatment (50% ETc) increased fruit quality traits (total soluble solids, titratable acidity, vitamin C, and total sugars). Plants pruned to 6 fruits truss-1 yielded a heavier and larger fruit size, while unpruned plants had smaller fruit size with a significant increase in total and marketable yield due to increased number of fruits plant-1. The increased incidence of fruit cracking with lower fruit load (6 fruits truss-1) or with higher irrigation level (100% ETc) were related with the larger fruit size. The 50% ETc and full fruits truss-1 (zero fruit pruning) treatments caused the highest values of irrigation water use efficiency (25.6-25.8 and 29.9-30.4 kg m-3, respectively). To maximize marketable yield of cherry tomato and conserving irrigation water, it is recommended to apply 10 fruits truss-1 pruning treatment along with the medium irrigation water level (75% ETc) under greenhouse conditions.