Unit 1: Introduction to Agricultural

Statistics and Experimentation

Learning Outcomes
This unit will focus on the importance statistics for agriculturalists.
At the end of this unit, you should be able to:
 Explain why agriculturalist have to study statistics.
 Explain the relationship between the statistician and the agricultural experimenter.
 Define what an experiment is and what the purpose is.
 Explain the role of statistics.
 Outline the basic steps involved in scientific experimentation.
 Describe the planning stage in experimentation.
 Describe the execution phase of experimentation.

1.1 Why do agriculturalist have to study statistics?

Is knowledge of statistics really necessary for people who are going to work in agriculturally related
industries? Clearly the answer to these questions is YES and we believe there are two very important
reasons for agriculturalist to study statistics.
The first reason is that during your career in agriculture you will be expected to provide expert
advice about many agricultural problems. In order to give valid advice, you will need to be able to
research various academic papers, texts and web-sites. Many of the documents you come across in
your research will be using statistics to help to give meaning to the scientific results they are
reporting. You will need to have sufficient knowledge of statistics and statistical methods to fully
understand what you are reading and be able to question the truth and reliability of what is being
written. You may have heard the expression, “…lies, lies and statistics!” This derogatory comment
refers to the fact that many people are fooled into thinking something is true when the writer is not
reporting the statistics correctly. This course will give you a foundation in statistics that will enable
you to look critically at the statistics you see quoted in papers etc., and to tell when there is
something seriously wrong with the statistics.
Secondly, as a student and a graduate you are going to be required to undertake some basic
agricultural research of your own. Since Agriculture is a science, we need to be able to report what
we discover very accurately and precisely. “Words are not enough” we need to be able to quantify
what we have researched. The way to do this so that all other scientists understand is to use statistics.
So, a sound foundation in statistics will empower you to complete some basic research studies so that
you can communicate effectively with others in your profession.

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1.2 The Statistician and the Agricultural Experimenter
Despite their common origin and their evident need of one another, agriculturist and statistician
drifted apart for a long time. Each to become more specialised, one based on biological science and
the other on mathematics. In the end they could understand each other and worst still their roles
began to conflict.
Later it was realised that collecting and presenting data are not enough. It is necessary to extract
sense, based on statistical evidence from them as well. The experimenter therefore needed the
statistician. Really their roles are complementary and the best results are obtained when they work in
the harmony and mutual appreciation
The first point of meeting between the statistician and the experimenter should properly be at the
design stage. It is important to avoid that attitude that a good statistician can always analysis any
experiment eventually. For example, improper blocking could prevent valid comparison of treatment
of interest and there may be no way to rectify this.
In deciding on a design it must be remembered that statistical considerations, though important are
never paramount. Also, statistical consideration should not be allowed to modify treatments. An
unfortunate situation is where an experimenter has had to change the number of treatment, to agree
with the design contained in a text book in order to make the analysis easy. In such a situation the
question to ask is “has the experimenter ended with what he started off?” the aim of an experiment is
not just to produce any sort of data which can be analysed.
To sum up a good design should have the following characteristics;
1. It should be practicable
2. It should be statistically sound
3. The treatment should be consistent with the objectives
4. The problem to be investigated is what is actually investigated.
In these days of sophisticated statistical program it is not enough for agriculturists to state his
impressions without supporting them with data which has been subjected to rigorous examination.
The agriculturists need the service, while the statistician who applies himself or herself in real
problems will reap immense benefits. Each needs the help of the other.

1.3 The purpose of experimentation

According to the Webster’s dictionary an experiment is “…are trial or special observations made to
confirm or disapprove something doubtful, especially one under conditions determined by the
experimenter; an act or operation undertaken in order to discover some unknown principle or effect
or test, establish, or illustrate some suggested or known truth.” Most applied statistics books
however, explain an experiment as a planned inquiry into a subject to obtain new facts, to
confirm or deny existing facts. The result of such inquiry is used in an administrative decision. The
role of experimental design is to provide tools and not to decide the task.
It is important also to distinguish between absolute and comparative experiments. Examples of the
former include the determination of the smoke point of cooking oil or the boiling point of a liquid.
The problem here is to obtain the best estimate and
a measure of reliability of observation since repeated measures rarely agree exactly. A comparative
experiment, on the other hand, is an experiment in which two or more treatments are compared in
their effects on chosen characteristics of a population. The aim of a comparative experiment is not to
estimate treatment means. The training programme will deal almost entirely with comparative
experiments.

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The field of sample survey is sometimes regarded as a branch of experimental design. But a
distinction should be made between an experiment and a survey. In a designed experiment, the
experimenter forms the population studied. In sample surveys, the population under has been subject
to some influences, which are yet to be studied in relation to the population. This means that the data
in a survey is already there and not in any way influenced or varies by the researcher. Since a survey,
observations are taken from a population to estimate some fixed value for a characteristic, it is an
absolute experiment.

1.4 The role of statistics.

The function of statistic is to describe, summarise, analyse and predict. This more or less adequately
defines the role that statistic plays in the experimental design. Description involves the reduction of a
mass of data to as small as a set as possible. This could be the mean and standard deviation. This
gives a concise description of the data and makes a possible comparison between populations. In
terms of experimentation, the description of the population is inductive to the extent that we have
information only for a sample of the population. The other aspect of the analysis is that given the
summary statistic such as mean, one has to decide that the value belongs to a given population or a
set of calculated mean come from the same population. This is the test of hypothesis. The estimation
of a mean value itself is also part of analysis. Finally, the estimated values from the population could
be used for purposes of prediction.

1.5 Scientific experimentation

The design of experiments must be regarded as part of the scientific method. There are four basic
steps involved in scientific experimentation. These are:
a) Formulate a hypothesis
b) Plan an experiment to test hypothesis
c) Conduct experiment and make observations (collect data).
d) Analyse data statistically and interpret analysis

Familiarity with the subject matter of the problem under investigation is very essential. A clear
statement of the problem generally contributes immensely to a better understanding of the
phenomenon and a final solution of the problem. Care to be taken to ensure that the hypothesis is
capable of being tested in an unambiguous manner.

1.5.1 Planning stage in experimentation

Being a systematic process, an experiment has to be properly planned to ensure that desirable results
are obtained. The planning phase of the experiment is a key part that determines the feasibility or
otherwise of the study.
The essential requirements are as follows:
a) Definition of problem: give the broad scope of problem.
b) Statement of objectives: clearly indicate the specific objectives in simple unambiguous sentence.
Where there is more than one objective, list the most important one first.
c) Selection of experimental population: identify the population on which inference will be drawn.
d) Selection of experimental material: what will be the experimental materials? Where is the
material coming from? Are the materials locally available?
e) Selection of experiment treatments: the evaluation of these treatments will provide answers to the
problem(s) of the study. Are these fixed or random set of treatments?

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f) Selection of number of replications: the size of experiment is important of practical
considerations. Replication is important for statistical purpose.
g) Selection of experimental design: the arrangement of experimental units (plots) must be consistent
with the conditions of the experimental area or environment, number and structure of treatments
and size of plots.
h) Selection of unit of observation: the size of the unit to which a treatment is applied should be
determined during the planning stage. Allowances should be made for guard or border rows.
Consider also the number of plants to use for data collection. Do you need some plants for
destructive sampling?
i) Data to be collected: what data, when to collect, where and how to measure are important for
considerations of time and logistics.
j) Outline of statistical analysis: there is the need to consider data analysis of similar of similar or
related studies. Is it more appropriate to use graphs than tables? Will photographs help in the
presentation of results?

1.5.2 Execution phase of experimentation

After carefully planning of experiment, care must be taken to ensure that data is collected logically
and objectively. These are a few of suggested guidelines for smooth and appropriate running of the
experiment:
i. The experiment should be simple in the sense that one should not try to study too many
things in one experiment. Break it up into phases if possible. In addition, the design should be
simple but without sacrificing anything with respect to the subject matter of the investigation.
ii. Avoid bias in any form to minimize systemic errors.
iii. Avoid fatigue infield operations, particularly with data collections
iv. Statistical efficiency should not lose sight of economic efficiency. Quite often but not always,
the two go together.
v. There should not be many occasions of data transcription.
vi. Data verification must be carried out as soon after collection and illogical ones must be re-
taken immediately.
vii. Store data on computer and keep back-up copy.

Definitions
1. Statistics:
 The science that deals with the collection, classification, analysis, and interpretation of
numerical facts or data, and that, by use of mathematical theories of probability, imposes
order and regularity on aggregates of more or less disparate elements.
 A branch of mathematics dealing with the collection, analysis, interpretation, and
presentation of masses of numerical data.
 A collection of quantitative data.

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  The practice or science of collecting and analysing numerical data in large quantities,
especially for the purpose of inferring proportions in a whole from those in a representative
sample.
 The science, pure or applied of creating, developing or applying techniques such that the
uncertainty of inductive inferences may be evaluated.
2. Biological statistics (biometry): application of statistical method to the solutions of biological
problems.

Activity 1.1
Answer the following questions. Post your answer in the forum provided on Moodle.
1. Give reasons why statistics is so important for you as an agriculture student? Give examples where
you have had to use statistics as an agriculture student.
2. What are some of the roles of statistics?
3. What are the four basic steps involved in agricultural experimentation? Discuss an agricultural
experiment that you have either done or read about with respect to the four basic steps.

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