Accuracy in the estimates of zucchini production related to the plot size and number of harvests
Abstract
ABSTRACT: The productive variability in horticultural crops affects the planning and quality of the experiments, inflating the error and leading to wrong conclusions with low experimental accuracy and reliability. The objective of this study was to dimension the plot size and number of harvests that are necessary so that there is improvement in the accuracy of zucchini production. The production data used was the one from the uniformity trials where the basic units (BU) were identified with the number of crop row and were numbered according to the position inside the row. With the values of individual production, (fresh fruit biomass) different plots sizes were simulated by summing up the adjacent BUs in the crop rows and the two forms of harvesting groups. For each plot size simulated and their respective harvests, a variation coefficient (%) was estimated at the crop row. A response surface design was applied, with a dependent variable in the variation coefficient and, with the independent variable, the plot size and number of harvests. Best combination between plot size and number of harvests is seven plants and half the productive cycle in both growing seasons.
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