Field trials – simple steps

October 2013 | Presented by AgFirst | Future Orchards® webinar

Small on-orchard trials can answer practical questions when they are designed carefully enough to separate a real treatment effect from normal orchard variability. This Future Orchards® webinar explains a simple approach growers and advisers can use to plan, run and interpret field trials.

The process begins with a clear question and treatments that can realistically be applied and measured. Suitable comparison or control trees, replication and consistent treatment application are important if the result is to be useful beyond a few individual trees.

Measurement should be matched to the question being tested. Depending on the trial, this may include yield, fruit number, fruit size, colour, return bloom, shoot growth or another practical orchard metric. Recording the site, treatment timing and relevant seasonal conditions also makes results easier to interpret.

The webinar supports the Future Orchards® Focus Orchard approach, where small applied trials were used across growing regions to investigate local production issues. Its main message is that useful field experimentation does not need to be complicated, but it does need a clear question, comparison and consistent measurement.