Consistency and Convenience in the Choice of Units for Agricultural Science

Abstract

SUMMARYThe Système International d'Unités (SI) provides a consistent and coherent set of units for specifying the magnitude of physical quantities. Use of SI is recommended by most scientific journals and in many, includingExperimental Agriculture, it is now mandatory. Multiples and sub-multiples of units should be chosen to minimize the repetition of zeros before or after the decimal point. Several units related to SI (e.g. tonne and hectare) are convenient in speech as well as in writing but should be avoided in analysis to minimize the risk of numerical errors. Units common in agricultural science are discussed with special reference to the need for compromise between consistency and convenience.