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Relative Performance of Soybean in End‐Trimmed and Plant‐to‐Length Plots
Author(s) -
Meis S. J.,
Schapaugh W. T.,
Milliken G. A.
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
crop science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.76
H-Index - 147
eISSN - 1435-0653
pISSN - 0011-183X
DOI - 10.2135/cropsci2002.7000
Subject(s) - yield (engineering) , biology , horticulture , mathematics , agronomy , metallurgy , materials science
A common method to reduce or eliminate potential end‐row effects in yield trials is to remove a portion of the plants from the end of the row prior to harvest. Consistent evidence supporting or rejecting the need to end‐trim field plots is not available. This study was conducted to determine if plots planted to harvest length and not end‐trimmed could be substituted for end‐trimmed plots without affecting adversely the relative yield performance of entries in a trial. During 1997 and 1998, separate trials of soybean [ Glycine max (L.) Merr.] genotypes in maturity groups III, IV, and V were evaluated in four‐row plots at three locations with three replications per location. In each trial, 20 entries were evaluated using three plot treatments: (i) a plot planted to a harvest length of 4.6 m, (ii) a 4.6 m plot end‐trimmed to a harvest length of 3.8 m during early vegetative development, and (iii) a 4.6‐m plot end‐trimmed to a harvest length of 3.8 m following maturity. Seed yield and row length were determined for each plot. Seed yields were significantly different among entries for all three trials. The interactions of plot treatment by entry within year and of plot treatment by entry by location within year were not significant for seed yield in all three trials. Plots planted to harvest length provided an unbiased estimate of the relative performance of yield in soybean.