[GpsFrontier]

1. Less foliage sweats- and consumes less water (nutrients)

Absolutely, with less plant, there is less uptake of water and nutrients with any plant. The bigger they get, the more they need to sustain themselves.

2. Most of the foliage, except the parts that are close to the clusters is actually not needed by the plant (in terms of nutrient reserves).

I could be wrong, but I don't think "reserves" is really the right term because plants don't store nutrients or energy like a battery does. They use it and convert it as they go.

3. Less foliages permits better control and easier care, as well as better overview of plant ripening.

This is the main reason I believe commercial operations prune the plants. They can and will grow out of control if given the opportunity. With a large number of plants to take care of and pick, not pruning them to at least some extent would be extremely difficult and time consuming as well as labor intensive. That would cost them more money in the long run.

4. Pruned plants are better aerated, easier cooled and less prone to wilt, fungus and disease.

With a large number of plants this would also be true. Although with only a few plants would hardly be necessary because they are much easier to care for. To get the same amount of produce that you would off a un-pruned tomato plant you would need many more pruned plants. Starting them from seeds, they are vertically free and commercial operations have a rotating supply of replacement plants, so they are not concerned with getting as much produce off each plant as they can. They just clear it and replace it. They have enough plants growing in different stages all at the same time, so that they always have enough plants ripening (well what they call ripening anyway) to ship to their customers. Basically pruning tomato plants in commercial operations reduces labor costs.

5. Pruned plants with less foliage are less heavy and need less support in the growing and blooming stage.

Again, with a large number of plants like commercial operations this would be a problem, but with only a few plants this is easy to take care of.

6. If using artificial light, it is more efficient with partially pruned foliage.

Absolutely true, pruning the tomato plants will allow better lighting to the plants. Although most commercial operations growing tomato's use natural light inside greenhouses, except in winter when they use artificial light to suppliant the natural light.

The secondary effect would be irregular sized fruits and huge variety in ripening time. Both outcomes are not wanted with commercial purposes.

Not irregular, just not all the same exact size (that the society demands). As for the variety in ripening time, yes simply because the later flowers will ripen later. When keeping the plant from growing bigger by pruning, you keep it from producing more flowers/fruit also. By keeping the plant smaller and the fruit all ripening at relativity the same time, you can easily clear the foliage and replace it with a replacement plant to begin again. This isn't a problem for commercial operations. But you will need to have many plants, all in different stages of growth. Unless you want to eat all your tomato's at the same time, then wait to grow a whole new plant.