The two usual methods are either to use the surface area of the pot. or the soil mass and assume a bulk density and rooting depth. Both approaches are artificial. It is preferable to express the data as yield/plant or pot. Unless the pots were very large or the plants were harvested at the seedling stage, they will be (much) smaller in height, DW and grain yield than field grown plants.
You can use the yield components (Thousand Grain Weight, ear / m2, grain / ear ...).
If it is because you want to get an estimate for actual yield in the field, I do not think it is possible to measure this in a pot experiment. The differences between single plants in pots and crops in the field are simply too large. One possibility is to arrange the pots in a way that the plant density (plants per m2, not of the pots but of the total growing area) is the same as in the field, then the amount of space and light, and the aboveground competition will mimick what you see in the field. However, even this approach does not take away the problems of growing plants in pots, whereby their soil volume will be much less than in the field, and there will be no root competition between the plants.
I fully agree with Kristian. Especially considering the competition among plants and the growing environment (light, root competition and growth, water and nutrient acquisition, and the volume for root growth).
- Badges
- Science topic
- Similar topics
- Agricultural Science
- Horticulture