Experimental Design and Analysis for Tree Improvement provides a set of practical procedures to follow when planning, designing and analysing tree improvement trials. Using many fully-worked examples, it outlines how to: design field, glasshouse and laboratory trials; efficiently collect data and construct electronic data files; pre-process data, screening for data quality and outliers; analyse data from single and across-site trials using either GenStat or SAS; and interpret the results from statistical analyses. The authors address the many practical issues often faced in forest tree improvement trials and describe techniques that will give conclusive results with the minimum expense. The techniques provided are applicable to the improvement of not only trees, but to crops in general. Building on the success of the first edition, this edition includes commercially-available software packages for design generation (CycDesigN) and data pre-processing and automated generation of programs for statistical analysis (DataPlus). For analysis, it provides both GenStat and SAS programs as generated by DataPlus.

Experimental Design and Analysis for Tree Improvement provides a set of practical procedures to follow when planning, designing and analysing tree improvement trials. Using examples, it outlines how to: design field, glasshouse and laboratory trials efficiently collect and construct electronic data files pre-process data, screening for data quality and outliers analyse data from single and across-site trials interpret the results from statistical analyses. The authors address the many practical issues often faced in forest tree improvement trials and describe techniques that will give meaningful results. The techniques provided are applicable to the improvement of not only trees, but to crops in general. This fully revised third edition includes the construction of p-rep and spatial designs using the commercially available software package for design generation (CycDesigN). For analysis of the examples, it provides online Genstat and SAS programs and a link to R programs.

This new edition of a successful title offers procedures involved in preparing, designing, analyzing and interpreting forestry trials, primarily for tree introduction and improvement

Experimental Design and Analysis for Tree Improvement provides a set of practical procedures to follow when planning, designing and analysing tree improvement trials. Using examples, it outlines how to: design field, glasshouse and laboratory trials efficiently collect and construct electronic data files pre-process data, screening for data quality and outliers analyse data from single and across-site trials interpret the results from statistical analyses. The authors address the many practical issues often faced in forest tree improvement trials and describe techniques that will give meaningful results. The techniques provided are applicable to the improvement of not only trees, but to crops in general. This fully revised third edition includes the construction of p-rep and spatial designs using the commercially available software package for design generation (CycDesigN). For analysis of the examples, it provides online Genstat and SAS programs and a link to R programs.

Experimental planning and layout; Data collection and pre-processing; Experimental design; Analysis across sites; Variance components and genetics concepts; Incomplete block designs; analysis of gereralized lattice designs.

In nature, radiata pine is very localised and an obscure tree species despite the romantic character of much of its natural habitat. That obscure status and the lack of any reputation as a virgin timber slowed its due recognition as a commercial crop. Nevertheless, it has become a major plantation forest crop internationally. It has become the pre-eminent commercial forest species in New Zealand, Chile and Australia, with important plantings in some other countries. It consequently features prominently in the international trade in forest products, in addition to its importance in domestic markets of grower countries. Very fast growth, considerable site tolerances, ease of raising in nurseries and transplanting, and ease of processing and using its wood for a range of products and purposes, have made it the utility softwood of choice almost everywhere it can be grown satisfactorily. Abundant genetic variation and its amenability to other management inputs created special opportunities for its domestication. The story of its domestication forms a classic case history in the development of modern commercial forestry, with trailblazing in both genetic improvement and plantation management; this inevitably meant a learning process that provided instructive lessons, especially for tree breeders dealing with some other species. Paradoxically, the plantation monocultures have played and can continue to play an important role in protecting natural forests and other forms of biodiversity. Given the attractions of growing radiata pine, there were inevitably cases of overreach in planting it, with lessons to be learnt. Economic globalisation has meant globalisation of pests and disease organisms, and the scale on which radiata pine is grown has meant is has been the focus of various biotic alarms, none of which have proved catastrophic. Temptations, remain, however, to pay less than due attention to some aspects of risk management. The chapter structure of the book is based on historical periods, beginning long before any important human influences, and ending with a look into what the future might hold for the species and its role in human and ecological sustainability. Almost throughout, there has been complex interplay between the technical aspects, local social and economic factors, various types of institution, the enthusiasm and drive of some very influential individuals, and tides of economic ideology, threads that needed to be woven together to do the story justice.

This book provides a fresh, updated perspective of the current status and perspectives in genetic improvement of a diverse array of tropical crops. The first part covers aspects which are relevant across crops, namely how to maximize the use of genetic information through modern bioinformatic approaches and how to use statistics as a tool to sustain increased genetic gains and breeding efficiency. The second part of the book provides an updated view of some seed-propagated crops, such as rice, maize and oil palm, as well as crops propagated through vegetative means such as sweet potato, cassava, banana and sugarcane. Each chapter addresses the main breeding objectives, markets served, current breeding approaches, biotechnology, genetic progress observed, and in addition a glimpse into the future for each of these selected and important tropical crops.

Experimental design is often overlooked in the literature of applied and mathematical statistics: statistics is taught and understood as merely a collection of methods for analyzing data. Consequently, experimenters seldom think about optimal design, including prerequisites such as the necessary sample size needed for a precise answer for an experi