Experimental planning for conducting experiments with cucumber

Abstract

<jats:p>ABSTRACT In order to be considered highly reliable (showing very accurate results), an experiment needs to be very well planned. Defining the experimental plot size and number of replicates is fundamental to control the experimental error at the beginning of the experiment. The aim of this study was to estimate the plot size and the number of replicates sufficient to perform experiments with Cucumis sativus. A uniformity trial was installed in the first week of January 2017. The spacing used was 0.3 m between plants and 1 m between rows, resulting in 12 plants in each of the 12 cultivation rows and each basic experimental unit was composed of one plant. The variables observed in 18 harvests were average fruit mass (MMF, in g), average fruit length (CMF, in cm) and average fruit diameter (DMF, in cm). The harvests were analyzed individually and grouped to reduce experimental variability. The number of replicates and the plot size were estimated using the method of maximum curvature of the coefficient of variation. The plot size and the number of replicates were influenced by the variability in the rows and between the harvests. We recommend plots consisting of four plants per cultivation row with six replicates for the minimum significant difference by Tukey’s test, expressed in 25% the means percentage.</jats:p>

Repeatability and number of measurements for productive variables in vegetable crops experiments

“…Thus, the occurrence of a high number of measurements and a low coefficient of repeatability for pea, may be directly related to experimental variability. This high variability can be generated by the occurrence of insect pest attack, disease occurrence, competition with weeds, heterogeneity of soil fertility, uneven irrigation, plant damage in the experiment by intensive management, or even the presence of null values in the database, common in multiple harvest crops (Carpes et al, 2010;Lúcio & Benz, 2017;Krysczun et al, 2018;Lúcio et al, 2020). In the present work, the experiment with pea, the presence of the fungus Fusarium oxysporum f. sp.…”

“…Some studies have estimated the plot size and the number of replications for the cultures of Cucumis sativus (Lúcio et al, 2020), Cucurbita pepo (Santos et al, 2014), and Pisum sativum spp. arvense (Cargnelutti Filho et al, 2015).…”

Onion culture: experimental techniques for carrying out high precision experiments

“…In addition, due to the heteroscedasticity of the cultivation rows, a randomized block design, with each row, a block is recommended. This was seen and recommended by researchers working with other cultures such as Capsicum annuum (Lorentz and Lúcio 2009), Pisum sativum (Tartaglia et al 2021), Solanum lycopersicum (Lúcio et al 2016), Solanum melongena (Krysczun et al 2018) and Cucumis sativus (Lúcio et al 2020).…”

“…These concepts guide the researcher to plan, execute, analyse the data obtained and interpret the results of experiments correctly. The experimental planning phase is one of the fundamental steps for the success of the experiment, as it is essential that the data obtained in the experiments be a reflection of the effect of the tested treatments (Krysczun et al 2018;Lúcio et al 2020;Tartaglia et al 2021).…”

“…Several studies have estimated the optimum plot and sample size, in addition to the number of repetitions in various cultures, as for Helianthus annuus (Sousa et al 2016), Cucurbita pepo (Lúcio and Benz 2017), Solanum melongena (Krysczun et al 2018), and Cucumis sativus (Lúcio et al 2020). For A. cepa, Boyhan et al (2003) estimated optimum the size and number of plots to optimize the variables yield, seedstem formation, purple blotch and/or Stemphylium e botrytis leaf blight.…”