Comparative Experiments with Field Crops

This volume describes practical techniques for conducting field experiments. The style is relaxed and enjoyable to read, with new chapters concerning difficult sites; how to arrange tests that can help solve farmers' immediate problems; and patterns of fertility and their study in statistical analysis by numerical and graphical methods. The emphasis is on understanding statistics without the use of detailed mathematical formulae; researchers with little statistical training and scientists planning trials will find this work invaluable Content: Front Matter , Page iii Copyright , Page iv PREFACE , Pages v-vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS , Page vii Chapter One - FIELD EXPERIMENTS IN AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH , Pages 3-8 Chapter Two - PLANNING A FIELD EXPERIMENT , Pages 9-23 Chapter Three - SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS IN PLANNING CERTAIN TYPES OF EXPERIMENT , Pages 24-32 Chapter Four - MARKING OUT, SOWING, COUNTING, SCORING , Pages 33-44 Chapter Five - HARVEST , Pages 45-50 Chapter Six - SAMPLING , Pages 51-57 Chapter Seven - LONG-TERM EXPERIMENTS , Pages 58-67 Chapter Eight - INTERPRETATION AND PRESENTATION OF RESULTS , Pages 68-85 Chapter Nine - CRITIQUE OF TECHNIQUE , Pages 86-92 Chapter Ten - HISTORICAL NOTES ON FIELD METHODS , Pages 93-97 Chapter Eleven - COMPARISONS, DEGREES OF FREEDOM AND ‘ERROR’ , Pages 101-117 Chapter Twelve - MULTI-DIMENSIONAL GEOMETRY , Pages 118-129 Chapter Thirteen - REGRESSION ANALYSIS , Pages 130-143 Chapter Fourteen - ANALYSIS OF COVARIANCE , Pages 144-150 Chapter Fifteen - TRANSFORMATIONS, MODEL-MAKING AND OTHER PASTIMES , Pages 151-161 Appendix A - ROUNDING OFF , Pages 163-164 Appendix B - GROSS ERRORS , Pages 165-166 Appendix C - DIRECT-RECORDING BALANCES , Pages 167-168 Appendix D - STATISTICAL CALCULATIONS – SOME PRACTICAL CONSIDERATIONS , Pages 169-173 Appendix E - THE INTELLIGENT CUSTOMER'S GUIDE, OR WHAT TO ASK YOUR COMPUTER , Pages 174-175 Appendix F - GLOSSARY , Pages 176-199 BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES , Pages 200-203 INDEX , Pages 205-211 Comparative Experiments with Field Crops is a guide on how to organize comparative experiments about field crops. The book is divided into two parts. Part I deals with how to do and interpret field experiments; the planning of field experiments and special considerations to take into mind; the marking out, sowing, counting, and scoring of field crops; and the harvest as well as sampling. Part II covers the statistics involved in field experiments, and include comparisons and degrees of freedom and error; multidimensional geometry; regression analysis; and analysis of covariance. The text is recommended for agriculturists and botanists who intend to make a comparative study on field crops and are in need of a reference.