The 10 point plan
The 10 point plan is designed to help you do fertiliser rate trials on a wide range of crops. The trial process is broken down into 10 major steps. Following them in sequential order will enable you to plan, establish, execute and analyse trial that you can use to reliably assess which of two alternative rates best suits your cropping system.
The 10 point plan has two functions. First, you can print it off and use it as a checklist. Second, you can use it as a teach-yourself guide to fertiliser trials. The accompanying notes are just a brief introduction. By reading the more detailed notes in the full “On-Farm Trial Guide” that correspond to each of the steps, you’ll get progressively more detailed explanations of each point in the table.
| Step | Procedure | Questions to ask | Tick |
| 1 | Getting the concepts right | Are you clear on what you want to know?Are you clear on why you want to know it? | |
| 2 | Getting the treatments right | Will a head-to-head comparison of high and low fertiliser rates give the information you need?Do the two rate treatments differ by at least 20%?Can you accurately apply these rates of fertiliser?Have you calibrated your fertiliser gear to be sure? | |
| 3 | Getting the measurements sorted out | Have before trial measurements been planned?Have during trial measurements been planned?Have end of trial measurements been planned?Have after trial measurements been planned? | |
| 4 | Getting the design right | Have you chosen the best place for the trial?Are there 4 replicates of each treatment?Have the treatments been randomised?Have the plots been arranged to get the best from the site? | |
| 5 | Getting the site right | Have you walked the trial site and marked out the plots?Have before trial measurements been made? | |
| 6 | Getting the trial underway | Is fertiliser being applied at the right place and uniformity?Have you made records of site conditions planting time? | |
| 7 | Monitoring the trial – enacting your operational plan | Have you checked that correct rates of fertiliser were applied?Have during trial measurements been made as planned? | |
| 8 | Finishing the trial | Have you selected and marked the harvest area?Do you have accurate harvest equipment?Do you have data sheets prepared?Is the harvest procedure clear to all participants?Are data sheets complete? | |
| 9 | After the trial | Have grain samples been saved for quality analyses?Are flow-on effects of different rates of fertiliser important? | |
| 10 | Analysing the trial results | Are the data complete and accurate?Are the data entered?Have you statistically analysed the data?Have you recorded the results and conclusions? |