Agriculture Farming

Agronomic Field Trials: On the Farm and in Industry 

By: Jagdish Reddy
Published on

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Agronomic field trials have long been a tool for agriculture researchers working on new technologies. But in recent years, agronomic field trials have crossed into the production environment, where farmers can take advantage of similar methods to improve their farming practices over time. There are many similarities and some key differences between the methods and outcomes of on-farm experiments and professional agronomic field trials. 

Agronomic Field Trials

For decades, agriculture researchers have studied site-specific product quality and quantity impacts of new technologies through agronomic field trials. For plant breeders, chemists, and biologists, these experiments have been a critical step toward production. Agronomic field trials move research out of the lab and into a real-world, representative environment. The results of the trials have been used to make business and product decisions and position technologies to customers. 

As data has become more of a tool for farmers and agriculture technologies have increased precision, farmers have been able to take advantage of field trial methodologies to enhance on-farm decision-making. Farmers can understand the impacts of a given production practice or technology on their specific farmland, improving agronomic outcomes and, ultimately, yield and sustainability. There are three key phases of conducting an agronomic field trial: trial planning and design, data collection, and harnessing data. Both on the farm and in industry settings, these steps are defined by key actions that set the researcher up for success. 

Agronomic Field Trials

Trial Planning and Design

A field trial usually starts with a question whose answer is needed. Both farmers and industry researchers must think through the meaningful conclusions that can be drawn from the experiment. It’s also important to understand which variables can and cannot be controlled, to define the subject of study.  For example, site selection for a field trial can minimize differences in soil type, structure, and climate to understand the impact of a treatment or selected production practice in that environment. 

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Farm Field

Once the research question is defined, a field trial design must be defined and requirements must be identified. Researchers must plan the field trial to minimize variability, which allows the trial results to be attributed to the treatment that has been applied. Variability can be controlled by selecting for uniformity or planning and denoting the variability so its context is used in the analysis of trial data.

When developing the field trial plan, both farmers and industry professionals will consider the layout of the field trial, including replication and randomization, to lend authenticity to the trial results. In industry specifically, researchers may dedicate field trials to understanding product safety. For product researchers and agriculture companies, field trials may be focused on efficacy to support product positioning and marketing.

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Agricultural Farming

Field trials will be designed accordingly to give appropriate weight and visibility to the topic at hand. For farmers, field trial design may be dependent on trends in their area as well as available land and resources. Farmers may design field trials in conjunction with input suppliers to understand the impact and performance of a specific input product or seed variety in a given area and climate. 

Data Collection 

For both farmers and industry researchers, data collection is a critical step in the field trial process. This requires having plans and processes ahead of time. Data collection should occur in real-time, and all relevant data should be collected, including changing weather and agronomic conditions. Data quality is critical for all agronomic experiments. Both errors within the data collected and missing data can diminish the value of the trial and cast doubt on the results. Planning for adequate quantity and quality of data collected is important.

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Farmer on a tractor cultivating the field

In some cases, this may mean field trials have to be planned over multiple years or in various sites. Digital tools can be an asset to both farmers and researchers in the data collection step. Digital data collection can reduce errors, improve the timeliness of analyzing and sharing data, and protect the integrity of the data. In industry, data collection often happens within a single organization or a network of researchers. Data may be collected in the same place or the same way, year after year.

DRefining processes for data collection and continuing to review and leverage digital tools to streamline this can build efficiency in the data collection process. For farmers, particular care should be taken to store and share data, which often requires aggregation. Farmers may share collected data with trusted advisors or use it year after year to validate results and refine production techniques. Developing processes to collect, store, and aggregate data is critical. Digital tools can make this once-overwhelming process easy for farmers. 

Harnessing Big Data with Agro-informatics

Once data has been collected from an on-farm or industry-based field trial, the work is not done! The data is only as valuable as the analysis through which it becomes insight. Unlocking the potential of data can be done through agro-informatics, which uses data science to support the use of data. Companies and researchers may employ data experts who can analyze data and interpret results quickly and effectively. Results may be shared throughout the company or the industry to inform decision-making. 

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tending rows of small plants in a field

For farmers, data analysis doesn’t have to be a challenging topic requiring a degree in statistics. Digital tools can help farmers build reports and analyses based on the data they have collected. Agro-informatics tools may even standardize data from different sources, including legacy data, to help farmers compare their data. This is one way that farmers can increase the sample size of their research or increase the quantity of data used to make decisions. 

Field Trials for Farmers

Agronomic field trials provide an opportunity for farmers to test ideas, scientifically validate production practices and technologies, and understand the efficacy of new products. Using digital tools, farmers and researchers can craft unique field trials that fit their needs from inception and planning to data collection and analysis. Field trial software makes it easier for farmers to do on-farm research.

With a single tool, farmers can plan, execute, and analyze field trials, all while collaborating with stakeholders and trusted advisors like agronomists. Field trial software can also help farmers manage and scale field trials, increasing data collected and confidence in the results. By reducing complexity and streamlining design, staff management, and analysis, executing an agronomic field trial becomes second nature. 

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Planting cabbage seedlings in the farm

In today’s world of changing climate, loss of productive agricultural land, and growing world population, field trials are an important tool for all agriculturalists to make data-based decisions that improve productivity and sustainability. By understanding the real-world impact of a new production practice or technology, farmers can refine their approaches to meet sustainability, yield, and quality goals. Digital tools make this process easier than ever before, making on-farm research a scientific next step in improving agriculture for the future. 

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