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A Note on the Skewness of the Frequency Distribution of Harvest Indices with an Application to Winter Oilseed Rape ( Brassica napus L.)
Author(s) -
Hühn M.
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
journal of agronomy and crop science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.095
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1439-037X
pISSN - 0931-2250
DOI - 10.1111/j.1439-037x.1998.tb00373.x
Subject(s) - brassica , agronomy , skewness , biology , distribution (mathematics) , winter wheat , canola , mathematics , statistics , mathematical analysis
Based on well‐known statistical approximations for the mean, variance, and for the third moment about zero of the ratio of two random variables, a general expression has been derived for the skewness of the distribution of harvest indices. The skewness of the distribution of harvest indices depends on three parameters: coefficients of variation for the two component traits and their correlation. Conclusions for the sign of this skewness are discussed. Finally, the theoretical results and conclusions have been checked and applied to an experimental data set of winter oilseed rape. The agreement between expected and observed skewness is extraordinary good.