The Influence of Systematic Plot Arrangement upon the Estimate of Error in field Experiments.

Abstract

Summary and ConclusionsThe effect of systematic plot distribution upon the estimate of error of a field-plot experiment of 5 × 5 plots has been studied on ninety-one blocks taken from eight different uniformity trials, representing a wide variation in plot size and plot shape, crop, climate, and soil.The arrangements studied are: two different knight's moves, two different diagonal arrangements, and eight irregular arrangements, seven of which have been chosen at random.The investigation has shown that the use of systematic plans introduces a bias in the estimate of the error of the experiment. The use of the knight's move arrangement causes an over-estimation of the error, whereas the use of the diagonal causes an under-estimation.