I am a researcher of Soil science department. 5 months ago I had planted wheat for my research. The research design was split plot design. it has 3 replications, each replication has 2 main plot treatment: Farm yard manure @20t/ha and Biochar @ 20t/ha, and each main plot had 5 treatments:
T1: no N fertilizer,
T2: 100% recommended dose of Prilled urea
T3: 50% recommended dose of Prilled urea
T4: 100% recommended dose of Neem coated urea
T5: 50% recommended dose of Neem Coated Urea
after harvesting of wheat crops, there were wheat crop stubbles left 20 cm above the ground level. The wheat crop residues were not removed and incorporated in the soil after harvesting in April 12. Now in April 20 I had planted Mungbean in the same research trial, and no external fertilizers are used and is grown under residual nutrients of previous planting. The temperature here is 40 degree celcius during sowing of mungbean. I had been thinking to use mungbean as a green manure to increase soil fertility and ground cover in irrigated condition. analysing this prepare suitable research topics that best suits for my research trial.
now after 10 days of sowing there is not enough seedling emergence and i have few seeds remaining that cannot cover all research plots homogenously. i have to take data of biomass of 1m2 from each plot and my re,aining seeds can cover 1m2 area only of each plot out of 12 m2. can i sow seedds to 1 m2 only for the plots that havenot germinated enough seedlings.
Must you sample 1m2 exactly? That seems quite a large proportion from a 12m2 plot.
Why not take more samples from within each plot (with appropriate randomization etc), but use smaller sub-quadrats that sum to 1m2 ?
Consult a friendly statistician before going much further. (Note they are often less friendly when you turn up with a pile of data and ask for their help months after the experiment.)
Why are you getting such low germination rates from the mungbeans? Could the high temperatures be responsible? Are you sure they are viable to begin with, and at 40degC as well?
No you cannot sample to represent the original distribution with its competition effects . However, to rescue some data you might sample a fixed number of 'representative plants' per plot.
The alternative is to start again with germinated seed if the season allows.
You can do whatever you like since there are no rules in ecology. As long as you describe what you did and it seems reasonable :)
Bishal Dhungana
Given the constraints of seed availability and the need to ensure adequate seedling emergence for data collection, it seems reasonable to prioritize sowing the remaining seeds in the plots where seedling emergence has been insufficient. This approach ensures that you can collect data from all plots, even if it means focusing on a smaller area within each plot.
However, before proceeding, consider the following points:
1. Randomization and Replication: Ensure that the decision to sow seeds in specific plots is done randomly within each treatment group to maintain the integrity of your experimental design. Additionally, ensure that you maintain the same number of replications for each treatment group.
2. Data Consistency: Since you're aiming to collect biomass data from 1m² areas, make sure that the areas where you sow additional seeds are representative of the overall plot. Try to select locations within the plot that are similar in terms of soil characteristics and microenvironmental conditions.
3. Documentation: Keep detailed records of which plots received additional seeds and the reasons behind the decision. This documentation will be essential for accurately interpreting and analyzing the data later on.
4. Potential Effects on Results: Recognize that introducing additional seeds to some plots may introduce variability in your data. While this may be unavoidable given the circumstances, it's important to acknowledge and consider this potential impact during data analysis and interpretation.
Given the circumstances, your research trial offers several potential research topics:
1. Impact of Wheat Crop Residues: Evaluate the effects of incorporating wheat crop residues on soil fertility, microbial activity, and subsequent crop growth (in this case, Mungbean). Compare the performance of treatments with and without wheat crop residues.
2. Effectiveness of Green Manure: Assess the efficacy of Mungbean as a green manure in improving soil fertility and crop productivity. Compare soil properties and Mungbean growth parameters across different treatments, particularly focusing on plots with varying levels of previous nutrient inputs.
3. Nitrogen Management Strategies: Investigate the impact of different nitrogen management strategies (e.g., varying doses of Prilled urea and Neem coated urea) on soil nitrogen dynamics, crop nitrogen uptake, and overall crop performance (both wheat and Mungbean).
4. Long-term Soil Health: Explore the long-term effects of organic amendments (Farm yard manure and Biochar) on soil health, including soil structure, nutrient retention, and microbial diversity. Monitor changes in soil properties over multiple cropping seasons to assess the sustainability of these practices.
Each of these research topics can provide valuable insights into optimizing nutrient management, enhancing soil fertility, and promoting sustainable agricultural practices within the context of your research trial.