Optimum plot size for experiments with papaya genotypes in field

Abstract

The objective of this study was to determine a suitable plot size for field experiments with papaya genotypes. Two experiments were carried out using a randomized complete block design with 11 and 12 papaya genotypes, respectively. In both experiments, plots consisted of one row, with 10 plants each. Spacing between rows was 3.5 m, with 1.5 m between plants. The characteristic evaluated was fruit production in t ha -1 in first year of cultivation, and the basic unit used was one plant. Suitable plot size was estimated using Lin and Binns, and Hatheway's methods. These methods are complementary and should be used together in the determination of the optimum plot size. The results of these tests showed that the optimum plot size for the evaluation of yield in papaya was four plants by plot with four replications each assuming 30% of the precision for establishing differences among the means of two genotypes.

Plot Size Related to Numbers of Treatments and Replications, and Experimental Precision in Conilon Coffee From Clonal Seedlings of LB1

“…In case they use the same five treatments and increase the number of replications to six, 14 seedlings per plot will be used and will have a waste of 420 seedlings (5 × 6 × 14 = 420) to install the same experiment, a decrease of 40 seedlings in the installation of the experiment, that entails not only the reduction of, but also the space in the seedling production nursery. Similar results were achieved by Schmildt et al (2018) in the evaluation of papaya tree plants in the field.…”

“…Therefore, if the researcher wishes to install an experiment to evaluate only the non-destructive characteristics and use an error of 30% on average, with 7 treatments and fixating the number of replications in three, they will have the waste of 9 plants per plot and, if raising the number of treatments to 40, with the same 3 replications, the waste will be 8 seedlings per plot (Table 2). This type of finding was also made by other researchers in other agricultural crops (Cargnelutti Filho et al, 2018;Schmildt et al, 2018).…”

“…It should be noted that, with the same number of plots, the minimum waste is with the combination that allows for the larger number of replications. Such a finding has also been made by other researchers in other studies for the determination of the plot size using Hatheways's methodology (1961), like in pigeon pea (Cargnelutti Filho et al, 2018) and in papaya trees in the field (Schmildt et al, 2018).…”

“…According to Celanti, Schmildt, Alexandre, Cattaneo, and Schmildt (2016b), the use of Hatheway's methodology is interesting because it can satisfy the yearnings of the researcher who wishes to know the adequate plot size for their research accuracy, that includes the number of treatments and replications, the experimental outline used and the experiments precision. Among recent uses of Hatheway's methodology are mentioned those of Cargnelutti in determining the plot size in experiments with Pigeon pea and that of Schmildt et al (2018) with papaya tree genotypes.…”