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Published July, 1961

NOTES 279

1CONVENIENT PLOT SIZE True 50

M ANYstudies on the relationship between plot size


and soil variability have been concernedwith deter-
aifference
expressed
os percent
mining "optimum"size of plot. Of necessity, questions of of the 40
relative costs have played a leading role in these investiga- mean
"
tions. The well knownformula of Smith,
x -- b KaJ(1--b) K 2, 30
states that optimumsize of plot depends on an index of
soil variability (b) and the ratio of two costs connected
by the relation 2o
Tx=KI+K~x.
Here,
T~ is the total cost per plot of size x units (measured lo
in dollars per plot),
K~is a constant (measured in dollars per plot), Potatoes, b: 0.72 C.V:11.0, 20 varieties, 5%, 80%.
K~ is a constant (measured in dollars per square
foot), and 110 210 30
x is the numberof square feet per plot. PLOT LENGTH (METERS)

Experimenters, however, have often been interested Figure 1--Relationship betweenplot size, numberof replica-
more in convenience than in budgets. Few agronomists tions, and true difference to be detectedin an experiment.
reason that costs per variety in a yield trial should be
roughly five dollars or any other arbitrary sum. Instead, Smithscoefficient b is definedimplicitly by his "Variance
they often wish to know the number of replications and
the size of plot required to detect a difference of a specified b,
Vx = Vl/x
size, irrespective of costs. For such purposes the formula wherex is the numberof units per plot, V1 is the variance
apresented by Cochranand Cox, amongplots one unit in size, and Vx is the variance (cal-
culated on a per unit basis) of yield per unit area among
r : 2 C2 (t~ + ~,t2)z/d plots whichare x units in size. "Plots" of several sizes can
is useful. Here, be constructed from uniformity data. Let the calculated
r is the numberof replications required to detect a variance amongplots x units in size be Sex. Followingthe
true difference of d units, notation of Hathewayand Williams, * to calculate Vx we
d is the true difference betweentwo treatments (meas- first place S~xon a unit basis, obtaining
ured as percent of the mean), Vx = S~/x.
C is the true standard error per plot (measured as
percent of the mean), Vx is in turn divided by x to obtain the variance of yield
t~ is the significant value of t in the test of signifi- per unit area. Symbolically,
cance, and ~.
, Vx = V~x = S~/x
t.~ is the value of t in the table corresponding to The coefficient of variation for plots of size x is calcu-
2(l--P), where P is the probability of obtaining la.ted as
a significant result. Cx = S-:,/m~
As the authors point out, the use of this equation is where mxis the calculated arithmetic mean of yield for
somewhattricky, since the values of h and t2 depend on plots of size x. Notethat
the numberof degrees of freedomavailable for estimating rn 1 = mx/X.
the residual meansquare in the analysis of variance. Trial Hence,
and error maybe used, however, until the smallest con- C~ = S~/x ~ m~ = V~/m~1.
venient value of r is obtained. This expression maybe .substituted in Cochranand Coxs
The true standard error per plot (C), expressed as per- formula for numberof replications to give
cent of the mean,is usually estimated by the coefficient of r = 2 (t, + t~) ~ Vx/d~ mar.
variation. This, in turn, dependson plot size, usually de- ApplyingSmiths Variance Law, we obtain
creasing with increasing size of plot. If uniformity data r = 2 (t~ + t~) ~ bV~/@m~x
are available, it is alwayspossible to graph the coefficient b,
or, solving for x
of variation against plot size. Sizes of plot whichlead to xb "- 2 (t i + t=)~=e.
C=~/rd
convenient numbersof replications can then be read from C=1= V,/m=xis the square of the coefficient of variation
the graph. The present note, whichis based on a relation- of plots one unit in size, whichcan in practice be taken as
ship betweenthe coefficient of variation and Smiths "Vari- the size currently in use. "Convenient"plot size, x, will
ance Law," sets forth a somewhatless cumbersomemethod then be expressed in multiples of present size of plot. This
of accomplishingthis objective. formula has the important advantage of expressing plot
1PaperNo. 17,2 of the Agricultural Journal Series of The size independent ot costs. To determine plot size, the
RockefellerFoundation. experimenter needs only to specify the numberof replica-
~ Smith,H. F. Anempiricallaw describingheterogeneityin the
yieldsof agriculturalcrops.J. Agr.Sci. 28:1-27,.197,8. ~ Hatheway, W.H., andWilliams,E. J. Efficient estimationof
~ Cochran,W.G., and Cox,G. M.ExperimentalDesigns.Ed. 2. the relationshipbetweenplot size and variability of cropyields.
JohnWileyand Sons, Inc., NewYork.1957. Biometrics14:207-222.1958.
"280 AGRONOMY JOURNAL

tions he is willing to use and the magnitude of the treat- Logx -- 0.12986/0.72 -- 0.1804
men,t differences he wishes to detect. Smiths coefficient b x ~ 1.52.
may be calculated from uniformity data or from certain Since present plot size is 10 hills, plots approximately
types of experimental data, using the methods suggested 16 hills in size would be required.
by Koch and Rigney 5 4and Hatheway and Williams. Example 2 The relationship between plot size, number
Example I--A corn breeder wishes to reduce the num- of replications, and true difference to be detected can be
ber of replications in his yield trials from 4 to 3. He plans written
to use a randomized block design with 10 varieties for d2 = 2 (t, -{- t_~)2 b.
C21/r x
most work, and he requires sufficient precision to detect at If C1 and b are known and if levels of significance are
the 5% level of significance a true difference of 25% in
specified in advance, then d depends only on r and x and
80%of his experiments. His present coefficient of variation
can be plotted as a function of these variables. Figure 1, a
is 12% and his present plot size is 10 hills (2 rows of
graph of d plotted against x for several values of r, was
hills each). From previous experiments he estimates b --
prepared from uniformity data on potatoes gathered at
0.72. What size of plot should he use?
Tibaitatg, ~che National Center for Agricultural Research of
In the proposed design, 18 degrees of freedom are avail-
the Colombian Ministry of Agriculture, near Bogofft. From
able for estimating error. Hence t, -- 2.101 and t 2 =
this graph convenient combinations of plot size and num-
0.862. Substituting in the formula we obtain
ber of replications can be determined readily for several
xr2 = 2(2.101 + 0.862)= (12)~/3 = -- 1.34 9
values of d.--W. H. HATHEWAY, Assistant Statistician,
~ Koch, E. J., and Rigney, J. A. A methodof estimating opti- Colombian Agricultural Program of The Rod}efeller
mumplot size from experimental data. Agron. J. 43:17-21. 1951. Foundation, Bogota, Colombia.

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