Effects of nutrient levels and scheduling on growth and yield of staking and stakeless tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) hybrids

A field experiment was conducted at the College of Agriculture, Shivamogga, during the summer seasons of 2023–24 and 2024–25. The experiment was laid out in split-plot design with factorial concept with 3 replications. The main plots comprised of 2 tomato types (M1: staking, M2: stakeless); in sub plot, factor A consisted of 3 nutrient levels (D1 : 125 : 125 : 125 kg N : P2O5 : K2O ha-1; D2: 187.5 : 187.5 : 187.5 kg N : P2O5 : K2O ha-1 and D3 : 250 : 250 : 250 kg N : P2O5 : K2O ha-1) and factor B included 3 scheduling (S1: Entire quantity during planting; S2: 50 % during planting and 50 % at 25 DAT; and S3: 50 % during planting, 25 % at 25 DAT and 25 % at 50 DAT). Results revealed that staking tomato recorded significantly higher plant height (138.63 cm) than the stakeless type, while other growth and yield parameters were statistically similar. Moderate nutrient levels (D2) and 3-split scheduling (S3) significantly enhanced vegetative growth and fruit yield, with the highest plant height (153.27 cm), dry matter (140.61 g plant-1) and yield (76.83 t ha-1). Other 2-way and 3-way interactions were found to be non-significant. Correlation analysis revealed strong positive relationships between growth and yield. The study suggests that stakeless tomato with moderate, well-timed nutrient application is a cost-effective alternative to staking, offering comparable productivity with lower labour and input costs.