The Rural Voice, 1987-03, Page 52Established 1884
ATWOOD, ONTARIO
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50 THE RURAL VOICE
ADVICE
SETTING UP
A TEST PLOT
Many farmers, while interested in
setting up test plots, are unsure of
where to start and what to compare.
Naturally, the first and most
important step is to decide what you
want to leam from the plot. Given the
concern about conservation, for ex-
ample, farmers are trying various
tillage systems to see which most
suits their farm. After deciding on a
system, there are more questions to be
answered. A new herbicide or fertilizer
program might be examined. Different
cover crops or crop rotations should be
looked into. New hybrids could be
compared to see which performs the
best under the new tillage system.
When you have decided what the
purpose of your plot will be, the next
step is to decide where to locate the
trial. The site chosen should be as
uniform as possible. Slope, soil
texture, and drainage should be con-
sistent enough to eliminate differences
in yield that could arise from the
variations.
Field differences that should be
noted include dead furrows, the border
effects of trees, tile drainage, and pre-
vious cropping practices. Soil sam-
ples should be taken from each
treatment (things compared) so that
soil fertility can be documented. Also
consider that to get full benefits from
the plot the trial should continue in
the same field for three to five years.
The size of the plot depends on the
number of treatments in the trial. It is
usually suggested that each treatment
be three machine widths wide and run
the length of the field (half the field if
it is long). The larger the plot, the
more representative the results.
Flags or stakes should be used to
mark the beginning and end of each
treatment so that no mistakes are made
when monitoring the field. A check
should be established throughout the
plot so field variability can be accoun-
ted for.
To monitor the plot, the farmer
should walk the field at least once a
month and note any differences be-
tween the treatments in plant growth,
weeds, and/or pests and diseases.0
Lisa Summers
Soil Conservation Advisor