The University of Reading

Department of Applied Statistics

Statistics for Agriculture

Practical Exercise Week 13
Introduction
This practical is an experimental design game called TOMATO. The practical may be done in
pairs though the report must be written individually.
1.

TOMATO - An Experimental Design Game

1.1

Background to the problem

Two farmers, Adams and Bloggs, grow glass house tomatoes in Guernsey for the English
market. After several years it becomes clear that Bloggs gets higher yields than Adams.
Unfortunately it is difficult for them to determine what causes this because there are several
factors which differ between their methods of growing the tomatoes. Farmer Adams is
conservative. He uses standard heating, standard lighting and a variety called "Coward",
whereas Farmer Bloggs uses supplementary heating, supplementary lighting and a different
variety called "Doger".
1.2

Aim

In this experimental game you (think of yourselves as Adams and Bloggs) design a two-stage
experiment and, based on the results, decide on the combinations of the three factors of heat,
light and variety that gives high yields of tomatoes. For simplicity we consider just 2 levels
of each factor, namely
Standard Heating or Supplementary Heating
Standard Lighting or Supplementary Lighting
Variety 'Coward' or Variety 'Doger'
There are therefore 8 treatments, i.e. all possible combinations of these three factors.
In this game you will be simulating the conduct of an experiment from the discussion of the
appropriate design to the conclusions.

1.3

Objectives of the experiment

The first objective is for the researchers to recommend the strategy of growing tomatoes that
maximises the yield. The second objective is for the researchers to recommend the strategy of
growing tomatoes taking some account of cost of the different treatments. The different levels
of heating and lighting have costs that are described in Section 1.6.
1.4

The Research Facility

These are lean times. Research money is tight and thus you can only have a small greenhouse
to do this experiment. There are six north facing experimental units (plots) and six south
facing plots. It is known from prior experiments in the greenhouse that there is a substantial
difference in yields between the two sides of the greenhouse.
1

3
4
Alleyway for access
3

North facing

South facing

The second stage is carried out in the same greenhouse.

1.5

Procedure

1.

Decide on your overall strategy for the trial. Are you going to design both stages in
the experiment now or will you plan the second stage, based on the results from the
first stage?
Are you going to use all treatments in each stage. If yes, then how will you allocate
them in the plots? If no, then which treatment will you omit? How will you allocate
those that remain to the plots?

2.

Decide what treatments you want to apply to particular plots in the first stage of the
experiment. Write them on the sheet with the greenhouse plan.

3.

Obtain simulated yields (written on small labelled slips of paper) for your experiment
from the person controlling the game. Add these yield to the data collecting forms.

4.

Interpret your results for the first stage.

5.

Design the second stage and obtain a set of simulated yields for this stage as before.

6.

Interpret your results.

7.

Reach your conclusions in relation to the main objective as described earlier.

Note. All slips of yields have to be returned to the person controlling the game.

1.6

Economic Optimum

Suppose you are going to grow one greenhouse of tomatoes and that the extra costs of
supplementary heating and lighting are 500 and 400 for the whole greenhouse respectively
with no difference in the cost of varieties. If for a plot mean increase in yield of one unit the
increase in income for your whole greenhouse is 200 decide which treatment combination is
best economically. Is this the same combination which gave the highest yield?
1.7

Results

During the initial practical this should be a very brief rsum of the results of the two
experiments together with your decisions on the importance of the 3 factors and which were
the better treatments. (You may need do not do much, if any, formal statistics. Your
conclusions are likely to come from sensible comparisons of pairs, or small sets of yields).
1.8

Conclusions

Here you could mention the economic aspects briefly. You should also comment on the
design. Did you need both experiments? In hindsight could you have designed the
experiments better, etc?
1.9

Project

The third assessed project is to analyse and write a report of this trial. It should be written as
a short article, with the standard sections that such a report requires. They would normally be
a brief summary, followed by the introduction, materials and methods, results and conclusions.

You will probably wish to enter the data into the computer to conduct the analysis.
You should assume that some reading of the articles are interested in the actual results, e.g.
what is the effect of each factor. Others are more interested in the design you used and your
method of analysis, because we wish to adapt it to their own research.
The handing in date is Monday of Week 16, i.e. 19 February.

TOMATO

YEAR __________
THE GREENHOUSE

North Side
PLOT

TREATMENT
YIELD

South Side
PLOT

TREATMENT
YIELD

TOMATO

YEAR __________
THE GREENHOUSE

North Side
PLOT

TREATMENT
YIELD

South Side
PLOT

TREATMENT
YIELD