II.) Field Trials

Question 1

Field Trials

Answer 1

Are in-field comparisons of different treatments or practices.
Example: They may compare different pesticide control efficacies, rates, volumes in tank, biological control agents, irrigation methods, or pruning practices.

Question 2

Purpose of Field Trials

They are an important tool for testing the effectiveness of a new control method.

Answer 2

First clearly define the goal of the trial (e.g. hypothesis).

Usually field trial are conducted in dynamic environments with the influencing factors referred to as variables.

Enlist the clients’s cooperation to minimize variability in irrigation scheduling and other management practices that might influence the outcome.

To get clear results, it is important to minimize as many confounding variables as possible and to control variables that can be compared.