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The design and analysis of breeders' trials of sugar beet ( Beta vulgaris ) using two‐dimensional blocking structures
Author(s) -
ZHAO B.,
MEAD R.,
MACKAY I J,
CALIGARI P D S
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
annals of applied biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.677
H-Index - 80
eISSN - 1744-7348
pISSN - 0003-4746
DOI - 10.1111/j.1744-7348.1998.tb05225.x
Subject(s) - blocking (statistics) , alpha (finance) , biology , beta (programming language) , sugar beet , design of experiments , scale (ratio) , computer science , mathematics , statistics , agronomy , physics , construct validity , programming language , psychometrics , quantum mechanics
Summary A method for generating two‐dimensional blocking designs to fit any shape and size of experimental area is presented. The method takes an alpha design appropriate to the experimental area and imposes additional blocking perpendicular to the alpha blocks. Improvements to the design are then made by repositioning entries within the alpha blocks. Although this method of construction is less sophisticated than for other two‐dimensional designs, the designs are particularly suited to large scale breeders trials where no alternative two‐dimensional design may exist. The designs have been used for 3 yr in a sugar beet breeding programme, and have given improvements in efficiency over one‐dimensional alpha designs.