Field Trial Module (Trial Creation)

If you have any questions or need help analyzing your data you can find help here: Field Trial Module (Analysis).

Creating a Field Trial

1. Create a map of the data you intend to use as a reference layer for the trial.
2. Select File>New>Field Trial (Preview), or select New Field Trial (Preview) from the Map Toolbar.
3. In the Select Field to Load Reference Data From window, confirm the correct Grower, Farm, and Field information is selected.
4. In the Field Trial Wizard window all of your existing Field Trials will be displayed in the Saved field Trials window. To build a new one select Add New.
   
5. In the Add/Edit Field Trial window you will need to add the following information.
   
   1. Trial Name and Description
   2. Type: This will be dependent on what prescription you’re making.
      1. Target Rate (Mass): Dry Fertilizer Application
      2. Target Rate (Count): Planting Applications
      3. Target Rate (Liquid): Liquid Fertilizer or Spraying
      4. General (Other): Non-rate attributes such as seed variety, or product name.
   3. Units: Typically will be set to the same unit your field display applies in.
   4. Treatments: Select the total number of unique rates or variables to be applied. Enter a description that corresponds with the rates or variables being applied. It is recommended to have at least one treatment at a normal value to use as a control.
   5. Harvest Type: Select the type harvest information that will be collected from the trial.
6. Once Finished select Ok.
7. Select your created Field Trial and click Next.
   
8. In the Field Trial Setup window you will set the trial dimensions, layout, replications, and number of blocks.
   1. Enter the Trial Dimensions to use.
      1. Width will typically be set to the swath width of the implement used during application. Some users may want each treatment to have multiple passes. In this case we recommend the width be an odd number of passes to ensure guidance lines will be properly matched.
      2. Length determines what distance the treatment will be tested. Be sure to enter a large enough distance so that the results of the trial are meaningful.
      3. The Harvest Buffer will determine how much of the trial is excluded from the final analysis. The analysis will exclude data from the beginning and end of the trial by the value entered.
   2. Select the Replication Layout you wish to use. Side by Side will place the treatments next to each other and End to End will put the treatments in line in the same pass (see above).
   3. To enter the number of replications, place a check in the box and adjust the number to match the number you will use in the field trial. It is recommended to replicate each trial a minimum of 3 times for best results.
   4. Blocks are optional, but will allow you to duplicate the trial you are building in multiple areas of the field. This is helpful if you want to test the treatments in multiple locations, such as the higher elevation areas of your field versus the lower elevations.
   5. Clicking Randomize will rearrange your treatments so they are not always placed in the same order, or next to the same treatments. You can also manually reorder the treatments by clicking on the treatment name, and using the drop down menu to change where they are located.
   6. The arrow displayed at the bottom will indicate the suggested direction of travel through the field.
9. Click Next.
10. The Placement Settings dialog will now open, where you can view the default filters, add new, edit existing or completely remove filters.
    1. If field boundaries are available, the default filter used by the software is to not place trials within 100 feet of the boundary edge.
    2. If soil survey information is available, the default filter used by the software will be to only place the trial in loam, silt loam, clay loam or fine sandy loam soil textures.
    3. To edit an existing filter, select the filter and click Edit.
    4. To remove an existing filter, select the filter, click Edit, and then select the Items to remove and click Remove or Remove All.
    5. To add a new filter, click Add New, and use the Reference Layer Settings to define a new filter based on any of the reference layers you had mapped when starting to build your field trial.
       1. In the example below a filter was added that will prevent the trial from being placed in Ladoga Soil.
          
11. Click Finish and the Field Trial Editor window will now open. The grid at the bottom will display the treatment name and soil survey properties.
    
12. To adjust the background layers being displayed, click Map>Manage Reference Layers. You can then adjust the Reference Legend being displayed using the drop down menu in the lower right hand corner.
13. Under Special Tools, you can adjust the location and settings of the field trial.
    1. Edit Trial Settings will reopen the Field Trial Setup dialog.
    2. Edit Trial Placement will reopen the Placement Settings dialog.
    3. Shift Trial will allow you to left click and drag to move the treatment blocks.
    4. Rotate Trial will allow you to left click and drag to change the alignment of the treatment block.
14. If you have multiple blocks in the trial, you can select them by selecting select point under action tools. You can then add a custom name in the Block Name entry box below.
15. If the field you are working in has Guidance operations saved in the management tree, and you would like to align the treatment block to one of those lines, select the treatment block and then click Set/Change.
    
    1. The Select a Guidance Line dialog will now open.
    2. Use the Year drop down menu to select which year contains the guidance line you wish to use, and then select the appropriate line from the left. You will see a preview of the guidance pattern selected to verify it is correct.
    3. Click OK.
    4. The treatment block you had selected, will now snap to the guidance line you selected.
16. Click Save and after verifying the proper management items are selected, click OK.
17. The Field Trial will now be saved in your management tree. You can make further edits as necessary by mapping the trial, and choosing Edit Layer.

Adding Your Trial to a Prescription

1. To insert the Field Trial into the Prescription that will be used, create a map of the Prescription and choose Edit Layer.
2. In the Prescription Editor window, click on Insert Field Trial.
   
3. In the Merge Field Trial window, select the Year and Field Trial you would like to merge with your Prescription. Verify the Treatments Preview window is correct, and click OK.
   
4. The Field Trial will now be merged with the Prescription Layer.
   
5. Click Save.
6. This prescription can now be exported to your field displays using Device Setup Utility. To export as a Generic file type, such as shape or KML, select Export from the File menu.