This report explains how specific research projects were selected, how studies were designed, and presents results that help us understand the effects of crop production practices on yield and quality. As with any data, one year of information is only meaningful for what happened in the field where the study took place in a given year. By looking at results from several studies it becomes possible to understand the conditions under which crop production systems will succeed or fail. By comparing conditions to those on your farm you will be able to decide if making changes in the way you manage your farm will help you reach your management goals. In this type of research plot, production practices are compared against each other, with the order of treatments as you move across the field being selected at random.
Random order is selected by drawing treatments out of a hat when the plot is designed.
A block represents one complete set of production practice comparisons. For example, if the study is evaluating high, medium, and low rates of fertilizer, a complete block would contain all three of these treatments. The order of the treatments within the block would be selected at random. If there are 4 replications in a study, it means that there were 4 randomized blocks of treatments in the field. Contributions of these partners are noted in each report of research results.