Resumo

VARGAS- ROJAS, Jorge Claudio  e  NAVARRO- FLORES, Juan Ramón. Determination of adequate plot size, using the maximum curvature method, for rice (oryza sativa) trials, in bagaces, Guanacaste. InterSedes [online]. 2014, vol.15, n.31, pp.128-144. ISSN 2215-2458.

A study to determine an adequate plot size for rice trials was conducted in Bagaces, Guanacaste, Costa Rica. A uniformity trial was planted, and the data collected were used to apply the maximum curvature method. The point of maximum curvature -determined by visual inspection- where the plotted curve for the relationship between plot size and variance coefficient stops falling drastically and becomes constant, was located between 15 m²  and 20 m² .The point of maximum curvature was estimated, using F-tests between the mean variances of each plot size, to be 16m . Nevertheless, for the sake of reliability, the adequate plot size was established at 20m². Using the method that Fairfield Smith proposed in 1938, an index of soil heterogeneity value of 0,83 was obtained, indicating that the soil can be classified as heterogeneous (this measurement's scale goes from 0 to 1, where 0 indicates perfect homogeneity and 1 indicates perfect heterogeneity).

Palavras-chave : plot size; rice; maximum curvature method; soil heterogeneity; Smith's index.

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