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A mixture of C8/C10 fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) when applied directly and exclusively to leaf axils of greenhouse-grown tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) signifi cantly inhibited side shoot development. Plants grown in a single cluster produc- tion system in winter produced 8.9 side shoots/plant, whereas those treated with C8/C10 FAME 45 days after sowing, produced only 0.7 side shoots/plant. Total pruning weight of the side shoots was reduced from 40.2 g/plant to 1.3 g/plant. Fruit yield increased 14% with C8/C10 FAME treatment and there was an increase in the harvest index from 0.63 to 0.70. For a spring crop, in which average daily irradiance was more than twice that in winter, overall yield increased 70% when compared to the winter crop. As in winter, side shoot number and side shoot weight/plant were signifi cantly reduced by C8/C10 FAME, but there was no difference in crop yield between C8/C10 FAME and untreated plants. In both winter and spring, untreated plants required hand pruning three times during the production period, whereas C8/C10 FAME-treated plants were pruned only once at the time of application. A C8/C10 free fatty acid (FA) mixture was also applied to one and two-cluster plants with similar results. In the multiple cluster system, application of the C8/C10 FA mixture instead of side shoot pruning reduced plant height and increased yield from 6.4 to 7.4 kg/plant. C8/C10 FA or C8/C10 FAME treatment could be a useful labor saving strategy in greenhouse tomato production and may increase crop yield under conditions in which assimilates may be limited by environmental factors, or as a result of a high level of competition from other fruits or shoots. At about the time the fi rst fl owers have opened, and after an initial period of mono- podial growth, the tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) grows sympodially with the development of numerous lateral shoots. Manual removal of these shoots is an expensive labor-intensive practice that is required for greenhouse production as the lateral shoots compete with developing fruits for nutrients and assimilates, and may also shade both the source leaves, reducing photosynthesis, and the fl owers, reducing fruit set. Navarrete and Jean- nequin (2000) found that the optimal pruning interval to prevent reductions in crop yield was 7 to 14 d. Nevertheless, manual shoot removal often damages some of the plants and can potentially spread disease. The use of growth regulators to inhibit lateral shoot development in order to limit the number of required pruning operations during crop growth, could reduce costs associated with crop production and may even increase crop yield. Application of abscisic acid, for example, inhibits lateral bud growth, although in tomato it does not suppress growth completely, even when applications are continuously repeated (Tucker and Maw, 1975). Aminoethoxyvinylglycine (AVG), a potent inhibitor of ethylene synthesis, also represses lateral bud development (Yeang and Hillman, 1982). Indole acetic acid (IAA), produced in the apical bud and transported basipetally down the stem, imposes lateral bud dormancy in most plants. Canaline, an amino acid similar in structure to AVG, promoted auxin transport in tomato, and suppressed lateral shoot growth (Brenner et al., 1987). Inhibitors such as canaline or AVG may, therefore, prevent lateral bud growth directly by suppressing cell division in the bud, or indirectly by increasing IAA-mediated apical dominance. Even if these treatments were suc-

Preventing Side Shoot Development with C8/C10 Fatty Acids Increases Yield and Reduces Pruning Time in Greenhouse Tomato