The Role of Staking and Pruning Methods on Yield and Profitability of Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) Production in the Guinea Savanna Zone of Ghana

Tomato is one of the most widely consumed and produced vegetables in Ghana. The low yield of tomatoes in Ghana has resulted in huge importation of the produce from neighboring countries. Good agronomic practices are among the key strategies involved in increasing the yield of horticultural produce. This study seeks to evaluate the response of staking and pruning on tomato fruit yield, quality, and cost of production. To achieve this, a field experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of staking and pruning methods on fruit yield and profitability of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) produced in the northern region of Ghana. Treatments were applied in a randomized complete block design with three replications. Treatments were no pruning + no staking (control), single pole staking (SPS), wire trellis (WT), one-stem pruning (1SP), one-stem pruning + single pole staking (1SP + SPS), one-stem pruning + wire trellis (1SP + WT), two-stem pruning (2SP), two-stem pruning + single pole staking (2SP + SPS), and two-stem pruning + wire trellis (2SP + WT). Results showed that 2SP + WT increased fruit diameter, fruit length, and marketable fruit weight by 52%, 32%, and 69%, respectively, compared to the control. The maximum number and weight of marketable fruits obtained from 2SP + WT increased total fruit yield by 76% compared to the control. In all, the performance of the treatments in terms of yield was in the following order: 2SP + WT > 1SP + WT > SPS > WT > 2SP + SPS > 1SP > 2SP > control. Though 2SP + WT increased production cost by 42%, it greatly increased yield by 69% which resulted in 83% net profit compared to the control. Thus, 2SP + WT could be tested on-farm for possible adoption to increase tomato yield, quality, and profit.