Studies on the Relative Efficiency of Different Experimental Designs for Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.)

The best experimental design to use in any given condition is the one which estimates the desired effects and contrasts with maximum precision or efficiency. In uniformity trial data, the treatments being considered as dummy, the relative efficiencies of various experimental designs were determined using the yield data taken from the uniformly raised sunflower crop during February 2014 to June 2014 at CCSHAU research farm, Hisar. Randomized Block Design (RBD) was found to be more effective in reducing error variation over Completely Randomized Design (CRD). Latin Square Design (LSD) was found to be more advantageous over CRD as well as RBD only when columns were considered as blocks. Split plot design was more efficient than RBD on comparison with sub plots (10.82% gain in precision) while less efficient with main plots in comparison to RBD. In case of factorial experiments, the gain in efficiency of the confounded design of order 25 increases upto 68 per cent for the 4-plots block.