79446 - Scientific Method In Horticultural Research

Learning outcomes

This course is designed to a) provide the students with tools to apply the products of the research in the horticultural sector and b) to correctly plan a research experiment and analyze to data a By the end of the course, the students will be able to: 1) understand the importance of the scientific method and its multiple-step process; 2) plan and perform simple and practical-oriented experiments in the field of horticultural research; 3) perform correctly the statistical analysis of biological observations; 4) communicate correctly the results of the scientific work.

Course contents

Introduction: Aims of the course, its structure and the evaluation procedure; type of errors; accuracy and precision in measurements; how to organize a dataset; descriptive statistic.

Counting methods and Probability: methods of counting like permutation and combination; probabilities; binomial distribution; Poisson; normal distribution; standard normal distribution curve «z»; t-distribution; how to set limits to sample means.

Testing Hypothesis, part I: testing two samples (or a population and a sample); hypothesis, how to formulate it; Type I and Type II errors; how to test if a treatment is different or similar, with a given level of probability, to an original (known) population; comparison between two samples; T student for independent samples and for paired samples.

Testing Hypothesis, part II: testing more than two samples by ANOVA; one way-ANOVA (single factor) and two ways (≥2 factors) ANOVA: main experimental designs for single factor or multi-factors; concept of variables, factors and levels; fixed and random factors; data transformation to meet the requirements for ANOVA.

Correlation and Regression: simple or multiple; linear or nonlinear; how to calculate the slope by the least square method; how to assess if the linear relationship is statistically significant (F value) and if the regression coefficient “b” is different from 0; coefficient of determination an regression coefficient; common misuses of the regression and correlation; second order, power and exponential equations and their applications; introduction to the COVARIANCE (ANCOVA) procedure.

Readings/Bibliography

Copy of the material presented; tables.

Gomez, K.A. and Gomez, A.A. (1984) Statistical Procedures for Agricultural Research. 2nd Edition, John Wiley and Sons, New York, 680 p.

Teaching methods

Frontal lessons; exercises; home assignments.

Assessment methods

Written test with exercises.

Teaching tools

PowerPoint presentations; exercises during the class; use of software.

Office hours

See the website of Massimo Tagliavini