Page 14-Com Talk, Lancaster Farming, Saturday, October 9,1993 Voluntary Programs, Funding (Conllniwd from Pago 10) Clinton Administration’s fiscal 1994 budget proposal to ALTERNATIVE DESIGNS FOR HYBRID STRIP TESTS Greg Roth Hybrid strip trials are usually con ducted in one of two designs. One is a nonreplicated strip with individual hybrids laid out in adjacent strips. Another method is a tester design that involves a tester hybrid to be placed between every second or third hybrid in the trial. In this design, hybrid yields are adjusted based on the yields of the adja cent tester strips. Comparisons between hybrids are then made on the basis of adjusted yields. The puipose of this pro cedure is to adjust for variation that might be encountered across the Held. A recent article published in the July 1992 issue of the Journal of Production Agriculture by M. A. Schmitt of the Uni versity of Minnesota and S. J. Openshaw and M. W. Davis of Pioneer Hi-Bred International examined the relative bene fits of the two designs. In the study, 19 large plot yield trials were conducted in Minnesota using live hybrids each. The authors used statistical techniques to esti mate the variation encountered with each design. The authors found that in 14 of 19 trials, the use of the tester system actually increased the variation encountered in the test. In most cases, the adjustment using the testers did not increase the precision of the test. As a result, the use of testers to increase the confidence of performance data is usually unwarranted. The authors suggest that to increase the precision of on-farm testing, instead, of going to a tester system, a second replica tion should be considered. Replication could reduce the variation by one half and could be accomplished with little extra work compared to the tester system. The failure of the tester system to adjust yields may be due to several rea sons. First, the variations in fields arc not always consistent in one direction. This is obvious to anyone who has flown over Pennsylvania farmland. Secondly, hybrids may not react the same way to gradients in productivity. We know that some hybrids are more sensitive to drought stress, for example, than others. And finally, the tester system spreads the test out over more land and there is a grea ter chance to encounter more variation. This study shows that we should recon sider how we design hybrid strip trials. Some good basic rules to follow on designing strip trials include: • Keep the number of entries as low as possible • Replicate if possible • Limit the test to hybrids of a similar maturity (or group the hybrids by maturi ty in the test) • Don’t rely only on the' results of a single trial. increase funding for Section 319 to $BO million, Wenms trand expressed disappoint- ment that no 1994 funds were specified for USDA’s Water Quality Incentives Program. “There is ample evidence that when farmers are provided with information on manage ment practices which minimize erosion and runoff and enhance their economic viability, they are quick to adapt without fac ing any government mandate,” he said. Wenstrand used as an example his experience with no-till farming, which he first experimented with a decade ago. He now uses a no-till sys tem to farm about 1,500 acres of com, soybeans and wheat. For more information on how to protect water quality, contact the Alliance for a Clean Rural Environment at (800) 545-5410. For the name of your nearest dealer, contact: HAMILTON EQUIPMENT, INC. 567 S. READING RD„ P.O. BOX 47* EPHRATA, PA 17522 nm 1-717-733-7951 ’ When you buy MsmvmiL 6,7, 8 or 10” diameters Models up to 71 feet North America’s leading auger manufacturer brings you quality and dependability at a very competitive price for the best auger value your money can buy. Each Westfield model has been engineered to give top performance with features like extra heavy gauge double inti flighting, and high speed bearings for years of trouble free service. Westfield’s PTO Shaft Drive model features a gear box connected directly to the auger dnveshaft with a flex coupler and shear bolt for the most positive auger drive available. The gear box can be flipped for right or left hand operation. A non-separable 60 - 80” PTO shaft and handy PTO transport saddle are standard. >*
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