Effect of Staking Methods on the Growth and Yield of Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) Cultivars in Raya Azebo District, Southern Tigray, Ethiopia

Abstract

In Ethiopia, tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) holds significant economic and nutritional value, but low productivity persists due to insufficient use of improved agronomic techniques, especially staking systems and hybrid cultivars. This study evaluated the effects of staking methods on the growth, yield, fruit quality, and economic returns of hybrid tomato cultivars under the semi-arid conditions of Raya Azebo District, Southern Tigray and Ethiopia. A field experiment was conducted during the 2024/2025 cropping season at Desta Farm using a 3 × 4 factorial arrangement in a split-plot design with three replications. Three hybrid cultivars (Abale F1, Gelilea F1, and Jarrah F1) were assigned to main plots, with four staking methods (non-staking, single-post, French-type, and vertical staking) allocated to sub-plots. Data on phenological traits, growth parameters, yield components, and economic performance were collected and analyzed using ANOVA in using a genstate18th edition with mean separation by the LSD test at the 5% significance level. Results indicated that staking methods, cultivars, and their interaction had significant (p < 0.05) effects on all parameters. French-type staking consistently outperformed the other methods by promoting earlier flowering (46.56 days), earlier maturity (77.11 days), and higher fruit set (71.5%), and improved fruit size (6.24 cm) and weight (103.3 g). Jarrah F1 exhibited superior vegetative growth and reproductive efficiency among the cultivars. The interaction of Jarrah F1 with French-type staking produced the highest marketable yield (136.0 t ha⁻¹), total yield (149.6 t ha⁻¹), net benefit (8,157,727 ETB ha⁻¹), and marginal rate of return (8,734%), whereas Abale F1 under non-staking produced the lowest marketable (59.3 t ha⁻¹) and total yield (76.1 t ha⁻¹). Overall, integrating Jarrah F1 with French-type staking substantially improves tomato productivity and economic returns in Raya Azebo District and was recommended for adoption, subject to further multi-location and multi-season validation.