Size and shape of experimental units of beans and corn as associated crops

Abstract

A uniform trial of beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) and corn (Zea mays L.) as associated crops was carried out at the “Centro Nacional de Pesquisa de Arroz e Feijão” at Goiânia, GO, Brazil, At the time of the harvest the area was divided into two halves, each with 900 harvest units of one square meter. Fifty-two different combinations of size plots were made and for each the coefficient of variation was determined. After that, the correlation between the coefficient of variation and the number of harvest units were studied through the model CV = aX^b. It was determined, by the CV maximum curvature method, that the ideal effective area of the plots for field research with these associated beans and corn crops is that of 18 square meters (3 m x 6 m).