Multiple comparison methods are described. It is noted that they have always been controversial, partly because they emphasize testing at the expense of estimation, partly because they pay no regard to the purpose of the investigation, partly because there are so many competing forms and, not least, because they can lead to illogical conclusions. There are many identified instances where they have been found misleading.

An alternative approach is to designate ‘contrasts of interest’ from the start and to concentrate estimation and testing upon them. In many experiments the approach is powerful and definite in use, but sometimes there is no reason to designate one contrast rather than another, for example, in the assessment of new strains or new chemicals. In such circumstances some have found multiple comparisons useful, especially when the problem is to ‘pick the winner’. Bayesian methods and cluster analysis are considered briefly as other alternatives.

The current over-use of multiple comparisons is deplored. It is thought to arise in part from bad teaching and in part from the general reluctance of non-statisticians to venture into the unknown territory of specifying contrasts. A bad situation is made worse by the availability of software that carries out multiple comparisons as a matter of course.

Increasing transplanting costs in southeast Asia have encouraged farmers to adopt labour-saving crop establishment techniques for rice, such as wet seeding. This practice has been accompanied by an increase in weed problems and a shift in the dominant species to grassy weeds. Other problems are encountered with wet seeding but weeds are the most severe and most widespread constraint. It is impossible to produce rice economically without a well-planned weed control programme. The problems caused by weeds in wet-seeded rice and ways of controlling them by preventive, ecological, managerial, physical and chemical means are discussed in this paper. Herbicides are the most cost-effective weed control method in wet-seeded rice but there is a need to reduce the almost total reliance on them for weed control; cultural practices need to be integrated with judicious herbicide use. Worldwide concerns over environmental issues also need to be addressed.

Control de malezas en el arroz de siembra húmeda

Although plant nematodes are ubiquitous and pathogenic to a wide range of crops, research into these pests in the tropics has been concentrated on commodity crops. While modern intensive tropical agriculture has become unsustainable and often relies on the use of toxic nematicides to control damaging populations of plant nematodes, many traditional subsistence farmers have been able to suppress nematodes by promoting crop diversity and selecting for tolerance and resistance. This paper gives examples of sustainable systems which suppress nematodes. Other examples of once sustainable systems in which nematode problems now occur are discussed and reasons for this instability suggested. The need for farmers to retain responsibility for the development of sustainable systems is stressed. Nematologists and other plant protectionists are encouraged to take a wider view of the complex issues that affect the sustainability of agriculture in the tropics.

Los nemátodos de las plantas y la agricultura continua

Eleven genotypes of soyabean (Glycine max) of tropical, sub-tropical and temperate origin and one accession of G. soja were grown in six locations in Australia during 1986–88, and at one location in Australia and two in Taiwan during 1989–91. Dates of sowing were varied within and among locations so as to expose plants to as many as 32 environments of widely different diurnal temperature and daylength. Times from sowing to flowering (f) were recorded, from which rates of progress towards flowering (1/f) were calculated. These derived data were then related to mean pre-flowering values of temperature (T¯) and photoperiod (P) using a three-plane linear model developed from controlled environment data. Among genotypes, mean values of f varied between 24–49 d and between 139–291 d in the most- and least-inductive environments, respectively. These differences were associated with variations in P from about 11 to 16 h d-1, in daily mean maximum temperatures from about 17° to 36°C, in daily mean minimum temperatures from about 5° to 25°C, and in T¯ from about 11° to 30°C, that is, a very wide range of photothermal regimes. The relations of 1/f to T¯ and P can be described in photoperiod-insensitive genotypes by a thermal plane defined by two constants, a and b, and additionally by a photothermal plane defined by three constants, a′, b′ and c′, in the more numerous photoperiod-sensitive genotypes. If photoperiod-sensitive genotypes are grown in sufficiently long days then a third photoperiod and temperature-insensitive plane is exposed, defined by a constant, d′; this plane indicates the maximum delay in flowering of which the genotype is capable. The constants a′, b′, c′ and d′ define the delay in flowering caused by photoperiod-sensitivity genes. The two intercepts between the three planes define, respectively, the critical photoperiod, Pc, above which increase in daylength delays flowering, and the ceiling photoperiod, Pcc, above which there is no further delay. The values of the six constants for any genotype can be estimated from observations of fin several natural environments. Comparisons between years in Australia and between Australia and Taiwan show that these genotypic constants can predict 1/f, and so the time taken to flower, given data on latitude, sowing date and daily values of maximum and minimum air temperatures. This model is more accurate than an alternative logistic model; we also believe that all six constants in the three-plane rate model described here have biological meaning. They indicate separate genetic control of flowering responses to P and T¯ and could form a rational basis for the genetic characterization and analysis of these responses in the soyabean germplasm.

Pronóstico del momento de floración II

This paper draws on the results of farming systems research (FSR) conducted over five years at eight sites distributed throughout Pakistan. The main research findings with respect to the irrigated plains, or favoured areas (four sites), and the marginal mountainous and rainfed areas (four sites) are summarized, with emphasis on the role of system interactions in technology development. In favoured areas, most system interactions occur between crops grown in multiple cropping patterns, whereas in marginal areas, crop-livestock interactions dominate. Appropriate research strategies for each kind of environment are discussed. It is concluded that although there is a need for quite different research strategies for favoured and marginal areas, the methods and perspective of FSR are equally appropriate and even critical for achieving future gains in agricultural productivity in each type of environment.

Estrategias de investigación agricola en zonas favorecidas y marginales: Experiencias recogidas durante la investigación de sistemas agrícolas en Pakistán

Fertilizer use in the semi-arid tropics is considered risky because of the unreliable rainfall pattern. A flexible system of fertilization was devised which allowed for high yields in wet years, and reduced financial losses in dry years. Relatively immobile nutrients, such as phosphorus, potassium and sulphur, were applied at rates determined from generalized soil properties and the total nutrient uptake required for a crop to achieve its maximum yield potential in a season with average rainfall. Nitrogen was applied as a series of split applications, which were adjusted during the season according to the degree of water stress observed. This approach was tested in on-farm trials for maize production on nutrient-poor sandy soils in three regions of Zimbabwe, and resulted in larger yields and profits than current recommendations, providing an accept able level of financial return. Small further yield increases were possible, at acceptable returns, when these fertilizer practices were combined with the establishment of tied-ridges by ox-drawn implements, 30 days after planting. By careful estimation of yield potential, and appropriate adjustments to soil fertility, this system of soil management could be applied to other cropping situations and other areas with variable rainfall.

Uso de fertilizantes para condiciones de precitación variable

Photosynthetic rates were monitored during the warm dry season in tea Clone 6/8 in a line-source irrigation × fertilizer experiment in the Southern Highlands of Tanzania. Irrigation and fertilizer increased photosynthetic rate both by enhancing photosynthetic rate per unit leaf area (A) in healthy leaves and by increasing the proportion of sunlight intercepted by photosynthetically efficient leaves. Irrigation-induced increases in A could be accounted for by increases in stomatal conductance (g) and associated reductions in leaf temperature. Fertilizer at an annual application rate of 225 kg N ha-1 caused increases in A associated with increases in g and improved responses to ambient CO2 concentration and illuminance (photon flux density, PFD). However, a further increase in fertilizer application rate to 375 kg N ha-1 a-1 decreased A in spite of increasing g. Light-saturation of photosynthesis occurred only at the higher fertilizer application rate. In unfertilized tea or tea fertilized at the lower rate, A decreased at a PFD of between 1400 and 2000 μmol m-2 s-l. These results are discussed in terms of the relation between photosynthesis and yield in tea.

Fotosíntesis en el té

Lentil frequently suffers from drought stress towards the end of the growing season in rainfed Mediterranean farming systems. This study aimed to quantify the contribution of yield potential under irrigated conditions and of drought escape to the adaptation of lentils to drought, and to identify traits of value in selection for adaptation to a rain-fed Mediterranean environment. Twenty-five diverse lentil lines were sown under both irrigated and rainfed conditions in the 1987/88 and 1988/89 seasons in northern Syria. In 1987/88 the total seasonal rainfall was 403 mm and average rainfed biomass and seed yields were 5.0 and 1.8 t ha-l, respectively. In contrast, in 1988/89 the total season rainfall was 180 mm and average biomass and seed yields were only 0.67 and 0.12 t ha-1, respectively. Early vigour (estimated as a visual score) and percentage ground cover were strongly associated with final biomass, and were of value in predicting economic yield (seed + straw). Early maturity was correlated with seed yield. In the dry season 1988/89, 49% of the variation in seed yield among lines was accounted for by variation in flowering time. Drought escape was clearly the key response to drought. For severely drought-prone areas, selection for early flowering is therefore required. Variation in flowering time and seed yield under irrigated conditions accounted for 62% of seed yield variation under drought stress.

Lentil is generally grown as a rainfed crop in areas of West Asia and North Africa where rainfall is highly variable. This study aimed to measure genetic responses to variation in moisture supply in the yield of seed and straw, evapotranspiration and water use efficiency, to guide the lentil breeding programme. The response of 25 diverse lentil lines to a soil water gradient was studied in 1987/88 and 1988/89 at Breda, northern Syria, using a line-source sprinkler system. The coefficient of determination between rainfed and irrigated seed yield in the dry 1988/89 season was r2 = 0.26, and the genotypes that were well adapted to dry conditions were different from those well adapted to wet conditions. However, there were also widely adapted genotypes that yielded well under both wet and dry conditions. The selection of such genotypes might be appropriate for the region receiving 300–400 mm annual rainfall, in contrast with the approach to selection suggested for drier areas (less than 300 mm annual rainfall) in a companion article. Soil moisture extraction from the time of maximum profile recharge to maturity in 1987/88 and cumulative crop evapotranspiration in the 1987/88 rainfed crop did not differ among lentil lines. In the irrigated treatment, however, evapotranspiration in the medium to late maturing lines exceeded that in the early maturing lines towards maturity.

The performance of promising genotypes of faba bean developed for areas with limited rainfall was compared with the local landrace, ILB 1814, at Tel Hadya in Syria during 1989–1988 using different row spacings and sowing densities. In the last two years of the trials the performance of the improved genotypes and ILB 1814 was compared with and without supplemental irrigation. Yields of ILB 1814 were better than the highest yielding genotypes in some years and similar to them in others. In seasons with limited rainfall the best yields were obtained by using a narrow row spacing and dense sowing, and yields were significantly improved by irrigation. Grain yield was correlated with biomass and the number of pods per unit area. The percentage of radiation intercepted was highest in ILB 1814, particularly when sown with a narrow row spacing and at a high plant density. Soil water extraction, evapotranspiration and water use efficiency were improved by sowing at a narrowrow spacing and high plant density.

Los nemátodos de las plantas y la agricultura continua

Field trials conducted previously in Niger have shown that in years when the onset of the rains is 15–20 days earlier than average, the long growing season can be exploited by growing a relay crop of millet (Pennisetum glaucum) and cowpea (Vigna unguiculata). In the trials reported here, the advantages of relay cropping were compared with intercropping with improved management and intercropping under traditional management during the 1989, 1990 and 1991 rainy seasons at the ICRISAT Sahelian Center, Sadore, Niger. The length of the growing season varied from 139 to 150 days over the three seasons. The relay crop produced more dry matter and leaf area and yielded more than the intercrops in all three years, confirming that in years when the onset of the rains is early, relay cropping with millet and cowpea is a better option than growing the same two species as an intercrop. Relay cropping avoids the competitive effects inherent in intercropping systems, while offering the additional advantages of rotating cereals with legumes.

Mijo y caupí en sistemas de relevo y de cultivo simultáneo

Extra-short-duration pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan) genotypes generally yielded more than short-season legumes when sown at the normal time on rainfed medium-deep Alfisols. However, their growth and yield were more reduced by delayed sowings and varied more widely between seasons than those of the short-season legumes, especially cowpea and black gram. All the crops gave lower yields on shallow Alfisols than on medium-deep Alfisols and none was consistently superior. Partitioning of dry matter into grain yield was less affected by time of sowing, soil and season in extra-short-duration pigeonpea genotypes than in short-season legumes. Less sensitivity of biomass accumulation to various abiotic constraints is therefore a major objective in improving the adaptation of extra-short-duration pigeonpea genotypes.

Cajanus cajan de duración extra-corta

Root systems of unpruned Cassia siamea and Leucaena leucocephala trees and regularly pruned hedges of C. siamea, L. leucocephala and Gliricidia sepium were examined in a semi-arid area in Kenya. Trenches were dug across rows of trees or hedges, soil profiles washed, and different sized roots counted in small 5 × 5 cm grids fully covering both faces of the trench. The roots were displayed using two computer software programmes written for this purpose: a spline technique that displays smoothed root densities in different shades; and a random dot method which displays roots as dots, using any specified scale. The fine roots of four-and-a-half-year-old C. siamea penetrated the soil to meet with rocks at depths between 0.60 and 2.0 m, and spread laterally to 9 m, traversing adjacent crop plots. Roots of eight-year-old L. leucocephala covered an extensive soil volume and included a greater density of fine roots than C. siamea at comparable distances. Above-ground pruning restricted the roots of hedges to a depth of 1.5 m, although roots of different hedges spaced 5 m apart intermingled freely in the alley space. L. leucocephala roots filled the alley very densely while those of G. sepium were sparse, particularly in the middle of the alley. Rooting density of C. siamea was intermediate. The dot method is more precise when rooting densities are low but when densities are high the splining method appears to be more visually helpful. These graphical methods greatly facilitate overall comparisons of sections of tree root systems, but quantification of root densities at different distances away from trees is still needed to understand more precisely the competitive effects of trees and associated crops.

Systemas de raices de los árboles

A series of trials investigated the response of a range of groundnut genotypes to varied levels of competition from millet in intercrop situations in both the Sahelian and Sudanian agro-climatic zones. No genotype interactions were observed in response to different millet population levels. Introducing millet into groundnut cultivation provided considerable benefits to the farmer, particularly at the less dense millet populations, but the introduction of groundnut into millet cropping consistently reduced the yield of millet, with little gain in groundnut yields.

The effect of managing hedgerow foliage for mulch and fodder in Leucaena leucocephala and Gliricidia sepium alley farming systems on maize grain yield and soil chemical characteristics was studied in on-station and on-farm experiments in southwestern Nigeria. Yields increased as the proportion of mulch applied increased but the extra increases obtained when more than half the foliage was applied as mulch were relatively small, suggesting that half the foliage may be removed as feed without detrimental effect. Soil organic carbon, nitrogen and available phosphorus tended to increase with increasing proportion of prunings applied as mulch.

Follaje para ‘mulch’ y forraje en la agricultura de sendero

Fourteen on-farm sites used in barley fertilizer trials were retained for a second year and, without further fertilizer, sown with a mixed vetch/barley forage crop. Rainfall at the sites ranged from 149 to 451 mm, and linear regression on rainfall accounted for 76% of the variation in hay yield between the sites, with a greater rain-related increase in vetch than barley. Soil nitrogen and phosphorus content at planting time in the second year was significantly affected by the rate of fertilizer application in the previous year. Previous phosphate fertilization tended to increase hay yields, particularly at sites where levels of native available phosphate were poor. However, responses to residual fertilizer nitrogen were small and variable.

Respuesta al N y P residual en el norte de Siria

Rates of shoot extension and development (the unfolding of leaves) were recorded in an irrigation × fertilizer experiment on Clone 6/8 at Ngwazi Tea Research Unit in southern Tanzania. The wide range of mean temperatures (from 15–20°C) meant that the duration of the shoot replacement cycle (the time taken for an axillary bud released from apical dominance to develop three leaves and a terminal bud), in fully irrigated tea receiving 450 kg N ha-l, varied from 65 d in the warm wet season to 95 d in the cool dry season, compared with 75 to 180 d for unirrigated and unfertilized tea. Regression analysis indicated that the base temperature for extension, for Clone 6/8 in high-input plots, was about 10°C, some 2–3°C more than that for development. As a result of these differences in base temperature, the length of shoots with three leaves and a bud varied considerably between treatments and seasons, ranging from 15 mm in the unirrigated plots (at the end of the dry season) to 130 mm in the high-input plots at the start of the rains. Shoots from well fertilized tea were always longer (at a given stage of development) than those from unfertilized tea. The results are discussed in terms of the possible mechanisms responsible for the observed responses (changes in partitioning between roots and shoots), commercial harvesting practices and yield modelling.

Extensión y desarrollo de broies en el té

Bread wheat is grown under irrigation in Saudi Arabia. Since water resources are limited, any additional agricultural development must make use of sources of water that are less than ideal, for example, saline drainage water. A two year field study was conducted to compare the effects of irrigating bread wheat with normal water, with a 1: 1 mixture of normal water and drainage water, and with drainage water alone, at three levels of nitrogen fertilizer use. The mean electrical conductivity of the irrigation water was 2.6, 8.6 and 14.6 ds m−1, respectively, in the two seasons of the study. Irrigation with drainage water decreased yield and yield components but increased the protein content of the grain of the two wheat cultivars studied. Drainage water depressed straw yields more than it depressed the yield of grain. Nitrogen application increased yield and yield components in all the irrigation treatments, partially overcoming the adverse effects of the use of saline drainage water.

Efectos del agua salada y el nitrógeno en el trigo

This paper offers guidelines for successful crop rotation trials derived from experience at ICARDA in the period 1980–1990. Emphasis is placed on the need to determine realistically the likelihood of the long-term, successful completion of the trial and the importance of considering carefully experimental design criteria prior to trial establishment. This involves assessment of what primary and secondary information to collect for the trial, and over what duration, in order to ensure an appropriate return for the large investment generally undertaken in any crop rotation trial.

Principios para ensayos con rotación de cultivos

In order to measure the effects of new agricultural technologies on labour productivity in sub-Saharan Africa, on-farm trials are usually conducted using small plots. Farmers who keep no records have to be interviewed frequently to minimize the effect of memory loss on the accuracy of the data collected. In this paper, results are reported of experiments in the forest zone of Nigeria and the semi-arid Sahel of Niger. They show that if researchers can take steps to fix events in the memory of farmers, accurate labour use data can be collected in interviews as long as three months after the events being recalled. A range of plot sizes, with a minimum of 350 m2 in the forest zone, needs to be used to measure accurately labour use per hectare and to take into account the effect of economies of size on crop production.

Recopilacón de datos significatiaos sobre el use de mano de obra en estudios realizados en fincas del sub-Sahara africano