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Module 1

Agronomy (Ilocos Sur Polytechnic State College)

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RM 101
Methods of Agricultural Research

LEARNING OUTCOMES

This course is designed to increase student understanding of the process of scientific investigation and the
communication of research findings in the context of agricultural research.

The course balances the development of a conceptual framework for scientific research with the
development of practical research skills.

By the end of this course, you should be able to:

1. Describe the key components of scientific research, including the formulation of research questions,
development of testable hypotheses and predictions, gathering and evaluating evidence and deriving and
presenting conclusions.
2. Define scientific inference and explain the use of inductive and deductive reasoning and the limitations of
both.
3. Differentiate between quantitative and qualitative observations and explain the concepts of reliability,
accuracy and precision as they relate to measurement.
4. Explain the consequences of variability and error with specific reference to Type I and Type II errors.
5. Describe the principles underlying the design and implementation of experiments, including the function
and use of controls, replication and randomization.
6. Describe observer bias and the management of bias.
7. Differentiate between field and laboratory experiments.
8. Construct valid arguments and use evidence correctly and effectively to support their conclusions.
9. Explain and apply appropriate methods of data presentation.
10. Explain how scientific findings are formally communicated including the peer-review process and the key
components of scientific papers and publications.
11. Effectively and systematically access information from the scientific literature.
12. Critically evaluate scientific communications, including publications and presentations.
13. Describe how research is conducted in academic, government and industrial settings, including research
funding and accountability.

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Lecture Content:
Topics to be covered in lectures include:

 How We Know What We Know

 Understanding Research, The Scientific Method, and Hypothesis Development
 Reasoning
 Experimental Hypotheses and The Scientific Cycle
 Variation
 Variability and Sampling Bias
 Replication, Repetition, Observer Bias
 Type I and Type II Error Rates
 Controls and Randomization
 Experimental Design
 t-tests
 Introduction to ANOVA
 Means Separation
 Correlation and Regression
 Data Presentation
 Scientific Writing – Organization and Style
 Scientific Writing – The Abstract
 Communicating Results to Non-Scientists
 Funding Sources for Research
 Research Ethics

 Deconstructing a scientific paper

 Plan an experiment
 Data collection and basic analysis
 Group project consultation (Time TBD by TA)
 Data collection - Observer bias and randomization
 Calculating t-tests
 ANOVA calculations and Regression analysis

General Classroom Policies in RM 101

Assignments should be submitted electronically via the google classroom. When submitting your
assignments using the google classroom, do not leave the page until your assignment has successfully
uploaded. To verify that your submission was complete, you can view the submission history immediately
after the upload to see which files uploaded successfully. You will see that your file has a Turn on if it was
successfully uploaded, but Assigned will appear it was not.

Be sure to keep a back-up copy of all of your assignments in the event that they are lost in transition. In order
to avoid any last-minute computer problems, it is strongly recommend you save your assignments to a cloud-
based file storage (e.g., OneDrive), or send to your email account, so that should something happen to your
computer, the assignment could still be submitted on time or re-submitted.

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It is your responsibility to submit your assignments on time as specified on the Schedule. Be sure to check
the technical requirements and make sure you have the proper computer, that you have a supported browser,
and that you have reliable Internet access. Remember that technical difficulty is not an excuse not to turn in
your assignment on time. Don’t wait until the last minute as you may get behind in your work.

If, for some reason, you have a technical difficulty when submitting your assignment electronically, please
contact your instructor immediately via messenger or the google platform.

Every student must have a scientific calculator for use during quizzes and exams.

All quizzes and exams will be in testmoz during online class but this is subject to change based on COVID
regulations. Some quizzes may be given through google classroom and will be timed. The format of each
quiz will be determined weekly.

Prepared by:

ARMANDO D. DIGA, PhD

Associate Professor III/Dean, CAFED

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Lecture 1
Introduction to Research

Definition of Research
1. Research is critical, unbiased, systematic, exhaustive and empirical investigation
of a hypothetical proposition arising from an observation of a natural
phenomenon (Kerlinger, 1973).
2. Research is careful, critical, disciplined inquiry, varying in technique and method
according to the nature and conditions of the problem identified, directed toward
the clarification or resolution of a problem (Good)
3. Research is the process of gathering data or information to solve a particular or
specific problem in a scientific manner (Manuel & Medel)
4. Research is an attempt to gain solutions to problems. It is the collection of data in
a rigorously controlled situation for the purpose of prediction of or explanation.
(Treece & Treece)

AIMS AND IMPORTANCE OF AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH

Food Production - research has been instrumental in the eventual transformation

of agriculture from traditional to a more scientific and advanced technological aptitudes.
Research has generated incredible amount of materials and information which form part
of the agricultural innovations presently used for higher and more quality yield. With the
recent technologies, farmers are now able to meet many production problems in their
farms. Crops have been studied on their adaptability to various cultural adaptations for
optimum productivity. In the production of livestock and animals, development and
progression has been taking place and we owe it through research. This will redound to
higher production which will increase supply of food for mankind.

Hunger - research is used in helping dissipate hunger in all parts of the world.
According to the United Nations World hunger is a recurring problem in most parts of the
developing world. Among the many potential biotechnologies that are available, and the
different ways in which they can be applied, genetic modification (GM) of crops demands
particular attention. Genetically modified crops possessing genes from different species,
could possibly relieve global food shortages. Although initial excitement surrounded the
use of GM crops -- that they will provide bigger and better harvests for farmers -- there
are still questions about the benefits of such crops. In addition, the general public may
not welcome the creation of "super plants" as a viable option in solving global hunger. A
segment of the scientific community often proposes that export earnings from higher
agricultural yields can contribute to reducing food insecurity and hunger in developing
countries. However, there are many issues and challenges that beg the practicality of this
proposal. A few crop varieties, specially created through biotechnology, can improve
yields, but biotechnology alone cannot solve the problem of hunger in the developing
world

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Malnutrition – according to United Nations, malnutrition is the related term in medicine

for hunger. The most recent estimate of the Food and Agriculture Organization says that
854 million people worldwide are undernourished. This is 12.6 per cent of 6.6 billion
people in the world. Many of the 854 million that are undernourished, children being the
most visible victims, live in developing countries. Undernutrition magnifies the impact of
every disease, including measles and malaria. Through research, the advent of golden
rice has been established which tries to contribute in combating malnutrition.

Research is conducted to attain the following:

1. To serve as tool in the continued search for more knowledge to advance the
frontier of science and satisfy curiosity inherent to inquisitive minds. Research
leads to discoveries, inventions and more exploration of the universe;
2. To enhance greater understanding of human behaviour, environment and their
relationships and interactions;
3. To generate and develop more efficient technologies and innovations essential
for socio-economic development and improvement;
4. To test, verify. Modify or evaluate new and existing technologies and innovations
in the fields of agriculture, fishery, forestry and other sciences and industries; and
5. To test known theories and hypotheses for their validity

ELEMENTS OF RESEARCH (Gomez, 1972)

1. Research problem –the subject of interest the researcher would like to
investigate.

2. Variables- refers to either the materials or methods applied to the experimental

organism.
a. Dependent variable- it is the expressed characteristics of the organisms
resulting from the application of treatment.

b. Independent variable- are the materials, conditions methods or the

experimenter controls or manipulates and applies to the organism to elicit
particular response for measurements.

3. Hypothesis- provides provisionary or temporal statement of relationship that

exists between independent and dependent variables.

a. Null hypothesis (Ho:)- predicts the absence of relationship between and

among variables.
b. Alternative hypothesis (Ha:)-predicts the presence of relationships between
or among variables.

4. Relations-the hypothesis or observed relationship between and among

variables.

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a. Positive relation- increase in the unit of independent variable (X) results to

increase in the dependent variable (Y).

b. Negative relation- decrease in the unit of independent variable (X) results to

increase in the dependent variable (Y).

c. No relation- no relationship incurred between variables.

5. Experimental units- the treatments are applied to the unit of experiment. They are
the basic sources of experimental data and units of comparison.

TERMINOLOGIES ON RESEARCH

ABSTRACT- a resume of the research or thesis which presents a non-critical and

informative digest of the significant highlights of the report.

ACTION RESEARCH- type of research which advances the aims of pure and
applied research but is primarily concerned with the production of results
for utilization purposes.

ALTERNATIVE HYPOTHESIS- a kind of hypothesis which predicts the

presence of relationship between or among variables.

ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE-a statistical technique which provides and identifies

measures of the various sources of variation in the experiment.

BLOCKING- a process of stratifying experimental materials into homegenous

groups to reduce experimental error in the experiment.

CENTRAL TENDENCY- a single value which represents the clustering of scores

towards the center of the distribution; this measure maybe the mean,
median or mode.

CERCHIER- a French word which means to seek

CONCLUSION- a generalization drawn from a particular study after it has been

completed.

CORRELATION- a statistical test which measures the extent of co-relationship

between two variables.

DATA- the aggregate of gathered observations from an experiment.

DEGREES OF FREEDOM (df)- the total number of observations subtracted by

the number of restrictions imposed on the aggregate data. (n-1 ).

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ERROR CONTROL- an experimental technique which aims to make

uniform/homogeneous the experimental materials or the environmental conditions
through stratification or blocking.

EXPERIMENT- an act or operation carried out under conditions determined by

the researcher to discover unknown principle or effect.

EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN- procedure used in the distribution of treatments in

the experimental sire using appropriate randomization methods.

EXPERIMENTAL ERROR- a measure of variation which exists among

experimental units applied with the same treatment.

EXPERIMENTAL UNIT- a unit of the experiment where one treatment is applied.

FACTORIAL EXPERIMENT- an experiment involving the study of two or more factors

simultaneously.

FREQUENCY- the number of objects falling in a particular class.

FERTILITY GRADIENT- the direction to which the soil varies its level of fertility.

FREQUENCY- the number of objects falling in a particular class.

HYPOTHESIS-a conjecture, an intelligent guess, a tentative or provisional

answer to an observed problem.

INTERACTION EFFECT- a concept in factorial experiment which measures or

determines the influence of one factor on the relative effect of another on the
response of the experimental organism.

LAW OF SINGLE VARIABLE- states that if two situations are alike in every
respect and one element is added, modified or removed, any differences that
develops is the effect of the added, modified or removed element.

MEAN- an average value equal to the sum of all observations involved divided by
their number.

MEDIAN- a measure of central tendency referring to the value which divides an

array of observations into two equal parts.

MODE- is the value that appears most often in a set of data. The mode of
a discrete probability distribution is the value x at which its probability mass
function takes its maximum value.

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NEGATIVE RELATIONS- a kind of relation between two variables where an

increase I the value of X results in the decrease in the value of Y.

NOT SIGNIFICANT- a result in the ANOVA which means that the treatment
applied did not affect the observations gathered; there are no siginifican
differences among means.

NULL HYPOTHESIS- a hypothesis which predicts an absence of relationship

between or among variables.

OBSERVATION- asset of data gathered from an experiment; observation is the first step
in the scientific method which results in the identification of problem.

PARAMETER- a collective measure which describes a population or experimental

subjects in some manner.

POPULATION- the entirety of individuals possessing some observable characteristics

being studied.

PROBABILITY- the fraction of the number of times an event is expected to occur

in repeated trials.

SOURCE OF VARIATION- the components or subdivision os of the total

variability of experimental data.

QUALITATIVE DATA- data expressed in quality of attributes which are often

discrete in character. Examples: color, shape, sex, size, etc. Data which vary in
kind.

QUANTITATIVE DATA- data where values are expressed in quantities, vary in

degrees and magnitude. Examples: yield in tons, weight in kilograms, height in
meters, etc.

RANDOMIZATION- a process where a chance devise is used to provide an

equal chance to all treatments to be assigned in the experimental units be it
favourable or not for such treatment.

RANDOM SAMPLING- a process of obtaining sample from the population using

a random procedure.

RECOMMENDATION- brief and concise statements found at the end of the

research/thesis report which essentially suggests what can be done with
the findings of the study.

REPLICATION- the number of times the treatment is repeated in the experiment.

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RESEARCH- method or process which seeks to discover, find out and explain
phenomena that are not fully understood or something that is unknown.

SCIENCE- method which involves a systematic unbiased, critical and accurate

investigation occurring in nature.

STATISTICS- science which deals with gathering, consolidating, analyzing and

interpreting research data and information.

t-test- a statistical test used to determine the significance of man difference

between two samples or treatments.
THESIS- a written report of a scholarly and scientific investigation conducted
by its proponents, usually students, as a reflection of their academic , technical
and technological expertise in their field of specialization.

THESIS FORMAT-a guideline containing instructions on the specific

arrangement and organizations on how a thesis is written or adapted by the
institution.

THESIS-OUTLINE- a two-chapter instrument which presents the overview,

research problem, importance of the study, time and place of the study, objectives,
literature and methodologies of a proposed study or a thesis.

TREATMENT- any condition, material, method which is controlled and applied to

experimental subjects (crops, animals, etc) under required environmental
conditions, the effect of which is to be measured and compared with the effect of
other treatments.

VARIANCE - the square of the standard deviation.

VARIABLES-refer to any materials or methods applied to the experimental

organism or the observable response of such organisms to the methods or
materials applied.

VARIABILITY- the existing variations or differences among means.

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ACCRONYMS OF RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS IN

THE PHILIPPINES AND IN THE WORLD

ACIAR- Australian Center for International Agricultural Research

AVRDC- Asian Vegetable Research and Development Center
BAPS- Bureau of Agricultural Product Standards
BAR-Bureau of Agricultural Research
BARC-Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council
BIOTECH- National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology
BPI-Bureau of Plant Industry
BSWM- Bureau of Soil and Water Management
CIMMYT- International Maize and Wheat improvement Center
CGIAR- Consultative Group of International Agricultural Research
CIP- International Center for Potatoes
FAO-Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
FNRI-Food and Nutrition Research Institute
FORI-Forest Research Institute
IAARD- Indonesian Agency for Agricultural Research and Development
ICARDA-International
ICRISAT-International Crops research Institute for Semi-Arid tropics
ILRI- International Livestock and Research Institute
IPGRI-International Plant Genetic Research Institute
ISAAA-International Service or the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Association
IWMI- Institute for Water Management and
ILAARRDEC-Ilocos Agriculture and Resources Research and Development
Consortium
IRRI-International Rice Research Institute
IRTC- Integrated Research and Training Center
JIRCAS-Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences
MARDI-Malaysian Agricultural Research And Development Institute
NARS-National Agricultural Research System
NARTDI- National Apiculture Research Training and Development Institute

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NSPRDC-National Swine& Poultyr Research And Development Center

OECD-Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development
PCA-Philippine Coconut Authority
PCARRD-Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources
Research and Development
PCASTRD- Philippine Council for Advanced Science and Technology Research
and Development
PCC-Philippine Carabao Center
PCHRD-Philippine Council for health and Research Development
PCIERD-Philippine Council for Industry and Energy Research and Development
PIDS-Philippine Institute for development Studies
PHILRICE- Philippine Rice Research Institute-
PRCRTC-Philippine Root Crop Research and Training Center
PTRI- Philippine Textile Research Institute
PHILFIDA-Philippine Fiber Industry Development Authority
PHILMECH-Philippine Center for Posharvest Development and Mechanization
RIARC- Regional Integrated Agricultural Research Center
SRA-Sugar Regulatory Administration
SRDI-Sericulture Research And Development Institute

Learning Activity 1.
1. Select at least 3 research Institutes from the list of Research Institutions mentioned
above and identify their research mandate and at least one research program. The
template for the paper shall be the following:
i. Cover Page- This contains the title of your paper, your name,
Program/year and section, Course code, Descriptive title, and name of
your professor. Sample Title: ICRISAT: A Research Institute for
drought Tolerant Crops
ii. Table of Contents- this page contains the different parts of your activity
report

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iii. Introduction- this is a brief rationale of the research institute your are
presenting ( it may take 2-3 pages)
iv. Mandate- this part includes the mandate, vision, functions, objectives of
the research institute
v. Institute profile- this describes where is the location of the institute as
well as the date of its creation or when was it established. is there a law
that created it? specify which law. Youi may also state the organizational
structure of the institute. who is the head and other operational officals
of the institute.
vi. Research program- you may state and discuss one or more research
program of the institute.
vii. Research publication- does the institute have a research journal, what
is the name of their research journal?
viii. References: cite your sources: URL, Author, Books. magazines,
articles or pamphlet.

Submit this in our google classroom Classwork Activity No. 2

Prepared by:

ARMANDO D. DIGA
Associate Professor III

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