FieldPro Overview
FieldPro allows easy field trial design, data entry and
reporting. It is flexible and adaptable to the preferences of individual
researchers, and results in data that is standardized and allows summary
of trials from many individuals. FieldPro minimizes data entry time by
storing and retrieving information that stays the same over many trials
(information about soil, equipment), and by using selection lists with
standardized codes for crops, weeds, pesticides, and other parameters.
FieldPro follows a protocol to trial system. A protocol
is the template of an experiment, and contains objectives, treatment lists,
statistical design, and other information that will be common even if
the experiment is conducted at many locations. FieldPro is extremely flexible
and allows many experimental designs, high numbers of treatments, replications,
and subsamples. Protocols are distributed to locations where the experiment
will be conducted.
A trial is created from a protocol, and contains the information gathered when the protocol is conducted at an individual location. Several trials may be generated from one protocol. An application describes the point in time when treatments were applied: the date, weather, pest and crop stages, etc. Evaluations are the data generated by the treatments, for example control ratings. An evaluation consists of two parts; the actual data, and a header which stores information about an evaluation; the date, what was evaluated, the symptom, etc. FieldPro generates many reports including spray sheets/labels, which calculate the amount of product to mix for the treatments; plot signs for tours; plot maps; and a wide range of summary reports.
A database holds protocols and trials in a folder or logical grouping. You might create a database to hold all protocols, trials, and weather information for each year. Someone doing a summary may create a database with trials from many years and many locations. Protocols and trials are easily distributed by exporting and importing them between FieldPro databases.
Dictionaries are used to make data entry easy, and to insure that FieldPro information is standardized. Each person using FieldPro in an organization uses the same dictionaries. They contain codes for pesticides, crops, pests, soil types, and many other parameters. When a protocol treatment list is being edited, the pesticide dictionary makes it easy to view pesticides by active ingredient or by product name. When trial reports produced by many researchers are summarized, they will all list velvetleaf as ABUTH, not ABUTH, ABUTH, or vleaf.
Dictionaries also allow FieldPro to translate units. One researcher might write a protocol with treatment rates expressed in kilograms per hectare while another researcher using/viewing that same data will see the rates converted to pounds per acre if that is his user default setting. However, the second researcher can print the treatment lists with the rates in their original units if he wishes.
Defaults are sets for standard information that are
stored and retrieved as needed to speed up data entry. All of the information
about a sprayer that will be used for several trials can be stored in
a user default: number of nozzles, pressure, gallons per acre, etc. Rather
than enter the sprayer information into all of the FieldPro trials individually,
the user default for the sprayer is simply recalled into each trial by
selecting the name given by the user to the sprayer setup. The same process
can be done for evaluation headers, cooperator/farm sites, report setups,
weather information, and many other items.
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Weather information for a trial is stored in a weather site. If several trials are conducted in close proximity, the information from one weather site is shared in the reports for all of the trials as does not have to be entered into each trial individually. The weather data might come from an on-site weather station, the nearest NOAA station, or another source. You may create as many weather sites as you need. |
FieldPro has many powerful data handling features. Standard statistical designs are supported: randomized complete block, split block, Latin square, etc. Data averages, F test, ANOVA tables, LSD, standard deviation, and coefficient of variance are automatically calculated. Missing data can be tagged and handled statistically. Calculations can be performed on multiple columns of data. Data can be exported to Excel spreadsheets, ASCII text files, and ACPA EDE / Canadian ECW format. Data from hand held data recorders can be uploaded. Data can be imported from EDE files, from earlier versions of PDMP (Pesticide Data Management Program) and PRM formats by use of EDE files. Following are lists of FieldPro features in each area of the program.
Protocol Features
Create, Edit, Copy, Delete, Output Protocols
Trial Features
Statistical Features
Ability to drop an entire Rep, Block, or Treatment from a trial or from an individual evaluation header (with automatic statistical recalculation)
| Calculation methods available in FieldPro: Agronomic note (1-10) No Calc Schneider-Orelli Efficacy (Arcsine calculation) Sun-Shephard Efficacy (no calculation) Townsend-Heuberger plus Abbott Henderson-Tilton -- Requires precounts User Defined and Multi column calculations |
Experimental Designs Available Fully Supported
by FieldPro: Latin Square Split Plot Split Block Strip Test Strip Plot Completely Random |
System Features
Dictionary Features
User Definable Defaults
Each user can select his/her own system defaults. This allows data/information to be recorded in one user’s preferred standard units and displayed or reported in another user’s familiar units.
The user can also input commonly-used information that can be recalled as needed. Examples are: