Passing the "eye test" doesn't mean better when it comes to variety or product evaluation

We can be fooled by a plot demonstration side-by-side comparison when we use a visual response to evaluate products.

Whether it’s an in-crop fertilizer application, a fungicide application, or something else, a visual response in a crop doesn’t necessarily translate to a yield bump.

Peter “Wheat Pete” Johnson gives the example of fusarium trials in winter wheat giving head-turning, dramatic visual results, and sometimes getting an eight or 10 bushel yield bump, but other times, a plot can look better because of alternaria control, for example, but yield the same.

Our eyes can fool us and the data is what will really tell us the truth when it comes to choosing a new variety or deciding whether or not to use a certain product. Confidence in the methodology or set-up of the plot is key, which is where the data can come from.

“Visual doesn’t always mean yield,” says Johnson.

Hear the full conversation between Johnson and RealAg Radio host Shaun Haney, below:

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