AGRO Experimental Design Days

27-28th February at AU Viborg, Auditorium. AGRO Experimental Design Days is an event aimed at providing new insights and fueling discussion about designing statistically robust, but practically feasible experiments in the field

Oplysninger om arrangementet

Tidspunkt

torsdag 27. februar 2025, kl. 09:00 - fredag 28. februar 2025, kl. 15:00

Sted

AU Viborg, Auditoriet

The event targets researchers who design experiments, and field/ lab technicians carrying out  practical work. We aim to explore various possibilities for modern experimental designs, as well as review how best to treat well-established experiments.  

The event will feature lectures from external speakers, on the statistical aspects of experimental design. Most importantly it will include interactive workshops with discussion groups on our current and future experiments.  

We are excited to announce that we have the luck of counting with the participation of two renowned experts to our workshop: 

Professor Hans-Peter Piepho: Director of the Biostatistics Department at the University of Hohenheim. Professor Piepho is a leading expert in statistical methods for plant sciences, with a focus on experimental design, genomic prediction, and spatial analysis. https://biostatistik.uni-hohenheim.de/en/116899/hans-peter-piepho-en 

Dr. Andrew Mead: Statistician at Rothamsted Research. Dr. Mead brings extensive experience in statistical modeling, multivariate analysis, and the application of statistics to various biological disciplines, including agriculture and ecology. https://www.rothamsted.ac.uk/people/andrew-mead 

Registration

You need to register for this event no later than 18 February. You can register here: https://events.au.dk/experimentaldesigndays2025/signup

Program

Time

Day 1

Day 2

Where we stand. Agree on concepts, identify key challenges in design implementation and LTE platforms. Specific research topics supported by field trial experimentation.

Where we are going: Statistical analysis of complex field trial designs, combining multiple experimental data, novel experimental designs, and experimental data perspectives.

08:30-09:00

Introductions and welcome

09:00-10:15

Session 1: Welcome to the other side

Session 4: Let’s get creative

09:00-09:15

Introducing workshop goals and objectives, welcoming lecturers and local speakers through the programme.

(Jørgen Eivind Olesen/Maarit Mäenpää + Franca Giannini-Kurina)

Insights from where we stand from: wrap up from Day 1

(Maarit Mäenpää and Franca Giannini-Kurina)

09:15-10:00

A common language: Ontology of experimental design.

(Adrew Mead)

Basic ontology and concepts for field trial experimental design. + farm OC

A statistical toolbox inspiring creative field trial design. (Piepho)

The power and limitations of mixed model approaches.

10:00-10:15

"No stupid question" round

"No stupid question" round

10:15-10:45

Coffee Break

10:45-12:00

Session 2: "Not so fast randomizer"  

Session 5: Specific areas for experimental designs

10:45-12:00

Fishbowl discussion on field implementation challenges:

Jens Bonderup Kjeldsen (Foulum); Anders Vestergaard (Flakkeberg); Henning Carlo Thomsen (Askov).

Moderator (Maarit Mäenpää).

Aim: Get input on the perceived challenges that the field techs can identify. Identify anything that might influence the treatments (timing + spatial aspects)

Crazy experimental designs world café:

On farm experimentation (DTI, Philipp Trenel); Simplex design (Diego Abalos); Seed experiments (Fiona Hay). Precision Agriculture (Renee Gislum; Davide Cammarano). Belowground experiments (Eusun Han). Pesticide Leaching Assessment Program (Kirsten Kørup Sørensen). Smart Fields (Christian Dold; Emil Holt Bøgh)

Aim: Present specific design and have inputs for all, identify further discussions for afternoon creativity session.

12:00-13:00

Lunch Break

13:00-14:15

Session 3: A Long-Term Platform

Session 6: Everything Everywhere All at Once?

13:00-13:45

A screenshot of our LTE:
Ingeborg Frøsig Pedersen. Søren Ugilt Larsen. Johannes Lund Jensen.

Aim: Presentation of perfectible ongoing long term field trials from the coming generation of people responsible of them. Discuss and redefine the design description along with potential limitations.

Meta-analytic methods for experimental network data:

contrast-based (AM) and arm-based (HPP) approaches.

13:45-14:30

Modern LTE Designs and practices:

New design in Hohenheim+ treatment change (HPP); Rothamsted (AM)

A place to creativity group work:

Tasks: Associate themes with a particular design. Identify links between groups. Explore the potential of fusion and ensemble our experimental data using a Meta-analytic approach.

14:30-15:00

Coffee Break

15:00-16:00

Group session on Agroecology research sustained on field trials: 

Tasks: Identify the big research question on the topic and the main response variable, enumerate the experimental design challenges, describe in terms of experimental design ontology. Topics: GHG emissions; Precision Agriculture; Crop rotations and legacy effects; Biodiversity; Plant protection and pesticides; Mechanization and technology implementation. Laboratory methodology and experimentation.

AM and HPP rotation. FGK and MM moderating local group coordinators

See you later closing session: 

Summary of what we have learned. Open forum for questions and discussion. Feedback and perspectives from Lecturers and external participants. Caffeine/bubbles.

16:00-17:00

Open forum for questions and discussion with more caffeine

19:00

Dinner in Viborg for those wishing to attend