The mathematical separation of plant and weather effects in field growth studies

Abstract

The only serious limitations of field growth studies are due to the erratic nature of the curves caused by short-term weather variations and the less apparent deviations caused by secular changes. The method of constant-fitting is applied, via a suitable mathematical model and experimental design, to separate growth and weather effects. A detailed account of the analysis is given, using a trial conducted as a test of the technique as an example, and the future possibilities of the technique in field growth studies are discussed.