02271naa a2200349 a 450000100080000000500110000800800410001910000200006024500260008026000090010652014040011565000120151965000200153165000210155165000240157265000260159665000160162265000110163865000180164965000240166765000130169165000250170465300250172965300150175465300160176965300160178565300140180165300150181565300110183065300200184177300600186112786441992-02-04       1961    bl ---       0--  u    #d1 aHATHEWAY, W. H.  aConvenient plot size.  c1961  aBanana (Musa spp.) is an important perennial crop in tropical countries. The optimum plot size and the number of replications required to detect significant differences in bunch weight were investigated using banana cv. Valery, grown in Ultisols under 2 different management practices (alley cropping with multispecies hedgerows or monocropping in cleared land), at 2 locations (one in Nigeria, the other in Cameroon where only alley cropping was investigated) in the humid forest zone of sub-Saharan Africa. The methods of maximum curvature and comparison of variances were used to determine optimum plot size; the number of replications was estimated by Hatheway's method. The optimum plot size in an alley cropping system was determined as a single row of 5 plants. The optimum plot size in a monocropping system was calculated as a single row of 20 plants. It is suggested that alley cropping of bananas with multispecies hedgerows may be an adequate system not only to maintain diversity but also for greater efficiency in testing improved germplasm. A table was developed, indicating the expected detectable true mean differences for bunch weight per plant for different numbers of treatments tested (5-30), plants per plot (5-40), replications (2-6), and management practices. This table allows researchers to select minimum trial sizes, according to their objectives and available resources.  abananas  acrop management  acropping systems  aexperimental design  afield experimentation  afruit crops  afruits  aintercropping  amathematical models  aresearch  astatistical analysis  aAgroforestry systems  aAssessment  aDevelopment  aMonoculture  aPlot size  aTechniques  aTrials  aTropical fruits  tAgronomy Journal, Madisongv.53 , n.4, p.279-280, 1961.