I would like to compare growth and development parameters for 7 different varieties of wheat with application of 11 different of organic fertilizers. Which design of experiment will be good FRBD or Split Plot Design??
Raghad Mouhamad
Factorial RBD Design:In a Factorial Randomized Block Design (RBD), all combinations of factors (levels) are tested across all blocks. Each treatment combination is applied to each experimental unit (plot) randomly. It is most useful when you are studying the effect of multiple factors and their interactions. All factors are considered to be at the same level of experimentation, and there is no inherent hierarchy between them. Split Plot Design:A Split Plot Design is used when there are two types of factors: one that is applied to the main plots and another to the subplots within those main plots. This design is used when there are practical constraints (e.g., a large number of plots for a factor might be difficult to apply, so it is applied only to a subset). The main factor is randomized at the block level, and the subplot factor is randomized within the main plot. The primary distinction is that the main plot factor is typically applied at a coarser level, while the subplot factor is applied at a finer level (within each block).
Main Difference Between Split Plot and Factorial RBD Designs:
Which Design is Best for Your Experiment?
Since you are comparing 7 different wheat varieties (7 levels of the main factor) with 11 different organic fertilizers (11 levels of the subplot factor), both factors should ideally be tested at the same level of experimental detail.
- If you expect that the fertilizers will be applied uniformly across all varieties, and you have limited resources for replicating fertilizer treatments across all varieties, the Split Plot Design might be a good choice.The wheat varieties (7 varieties) can be randomized to the main plots, and the fertilizer treatments (11 types) can be randomized to the subplots within each variety block. This design allows for better management of experimental resources, particularly if applying fertilizers to each variety is cumbersome or resource-intensive.
- If you can apply the fertilizer treatments to all the wheat varieties without practical constraints (i.e., you can randomly assign each fertilizer to each variety), a Factorial RBD design would be ideal.It will allow you to investigate both the main effects of wheat variety and fertilizer and interaction effects between the two factors. This design is more appropriate when you have the capacity to apply the fertilizer treatments to all wheat varieties in a fully randomized manner across all blocks.
Conclusion:
- If there are practical constraints in applying fertilizers to each wheat variety, Split Plot Design will work well.
- If there are no such constraints and you can fully randomize fertilizer treatments across varieties, the Factorial RBD design will be more appropriate for your experiment.
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Sandeep Gunalan
Raghad Mouhamad Thank you so much for clarifying my doubt. Your explanation was very helpful and has cleared up my confusion.
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