Effective use of statistical tools in agricultural sciences: a critical review of multivariate modelling methods

Objectives: A critical review was conducted to assess effective use of multivariate modelling methods for data analysis in agricultural sciences and related fields. Methodology and Results: Four main agricultural fields were considered: biology; agronomy; ecology; and food nutrition. Two journals were randomly selected per agricultural field and up to 250 articles were downloaded considering a ten-year period (2008-2017) per journal. From papers, information such as: statistical methods used; and whether multivariate modelling methods were required and used for data analysis or not, was recorded. Basic statistical methods: descriptive statistics, univariate parametric tests and related tests (post-hoc tests, normality test, and homoscedasticity tests) were the most frequently used. Advanced statistical methods such as multivariate descriptive and modelling methods, Bayesian methods, recorded the least use values. Multivariate modelling methods were rarely used though they were sometimes required according to agricultural fields. The highest and lowest effective uses of statistical methods were recorded for the agronomy and biology fields, respectively. Conclusion and application of findings: There is a gap between the development of advanced statistical methods, their usefulness and accessibility to analyse data in applied sciences especially agricultural sciences. Further investigations in statistical methods’ development may integrate and justify their usefulness in applied sciences. Collaborations between applied scientists and statisticians are necessary for better analysis of research data. Keywords: multivariate modelling techniques, effective use, agronomy, critical analysis, statistical method

Finding optimum climatic parameters for high tomato yield in Benin (West Africa) using frequent pattern growth algorithm.

Tomato is one of the most appreciated vegetables in the world. Predicting its yield and optimizing its culture is important for global food security. This paper addresses the challenge of finding optimum climatic values for a high tomato yield. The Frequent Pattern Growth (FPG) algorithm was considered to establish the associations between six climate variables: minimum and maximum temperatures, maximum humidity, sunshine (Sun), rainfall, and evapotranspiration (ET), collected over 26 years in the three agro-ecological Zones of Benin. Monthly climate data were aggregated with yield data over the same period. After aggregation, the data were transformed into 'low', 'medium', and 'high' attributes using the threshold values defined. Then, the rules were generated using the minimum support set to 0.2 and the confidence to 0.8. Only the rules with the consequence 'high yield' were screened. The best yield patterns were observed in the Guinean Zone, followed by the Sudanian. The results indicated that high tomato yield was associated with low ET in all areas considered. Minimum and maximum temperatures, maximum humidity, and Sun were medium in every Zone. Moreover, rainfall was high in the Sudanian Zone, unlike the other regions where it remained medium. These results are useful in assessing climate variability's impact on tomato production. Thus, they can help farmers make informed decisions on cultivation practices to optimize production in a changing environment. In addition, the findings of this study can be considered in other regions and adapted to other crops

Rules from Sudanian Zone.

Tomato is one of the most appreciated vegetables in the world. Predicting its yield and optimizing its culture is important for global food security. This paper addresses the challenge of finding optimum climatic values for a high tomato yield. The Frequent Pattern Growth (FPG) algorithm was considered to establish the associations between six climate variables: minimum and maximum temperatures, maximum humidity, sunshine (Sun), rainfall, and evapotranspiration (ET), collected over 26 years in the three agro-ecological Zones of Benin. Monthly climate data were aggregated with yield data over the same period. After aggregation, the data were transformed into ‘low’, ‘medium’, and ‘high’ attributes using the threshold values defined. Then, the rules were generated using the minimum support set to 0.2 and the confidence to 0.8. Only the rules with the consequence ‘high yield’ were screened. The best yield patterns were observed in the Guinean Zone, followed by the Sudanian. The results indicated that high tomato yield was associated with low ET in all areas considered. Minimum and maximum temperatures, maximum humidity, and Sun were medium in every Zone. Moreover, rainfall was high in the Sudanian Zone, unlike the other regions where it remained medium. These results are useful in assessing climate variability’s impact on tomato production. Thus, they can help farmers make informed decisions on cultivation practices to optimize production in a changing environment. In addition, the findings of this study can be considered in other regions and adapted to other crops.</div

Rules from Guinean Zone.

Tomato is one of the most appreciated vegetables in the world. Predicting its yield and optimizing its culture is important for global food security. This paper addresses the challenge of finding optimum climatic values for a high tomato yield. The Frequent Pattern Growth (FPG) algorithm was considered to establish the associations between six climate variables: minimum and maximum temperatures, maximum humidity, sunshine (Sun), rainfall, and evapotranspiration (ET), collected over 26 years in the three agro-ecological Zones of Benin. Monthly climate data were aggregated with yield data over the same period. After aggregation, the data were transformed into ‘low’, ‘medium’, and ‘high’ attributes using the threshold values defined. Then, the rules were generated using the minimum support set to 0.2 and the confidence to 0.8. Only the rules with the consequence ‘high yield’ were screened. The best yield patterns were observed in the Guinean Zone, followed by the Sudanian. The results indicated that high tomato yield was associated with low ET in all areas considered. Minimum and maximum temperatures, maximum humidity, and Sun were medium in every Zone. Moreover, rainfall was high in the Sudanian Zone, unlike the other regions where it remained medium. These results are useful in assessing climate variability’s impact on tomato production. Thus, they can help farmers make informed decisions on cultivation practices to optimize production in a changing environment. In addition, the findings of this study can be considered in other regions and adapted to other crops.</div

Threshold values of variables for the Guinean Zone.

Threshold values of variables for the Guinean Zone.</p

Correlation analysis between variables.

A: Correlation between predictors and response variable. B: Correlation between predictors.</p

Temporal variation of climate parameters and tomato yield in the three districts.

A: Rainfall. B: Evapotranspiration. C: Sunstroke. D: Maximum temperature. E: Minimum temperature. F: Maximum humidity. G: Minimum humidity. H: Tomato yield.</p

Rules from Sudano–Guinean Zone.

Tomato is one of the most appreciated vegetables in the world. Predicting its yield and optimizing its culture is important for global food security. This paper addresses the challenge of finding optimum climatic values for a high tomato yield. The Frequent Pattern Growth (FPG) algorithm was considered to establish the associations between six climate variables: minimum and maximum temperatures, maximum humidity, sunshine (Sun), rainfall, and evapotranspiration (ET), collected over 26 years in the three agro-ecological Zones of Benin. Monthly climate data were aggregated with yield data over the same period. After aggregation, the data were transformed into ‘low’, ‘medium’, and ‘high’ attributes using the threshold values defined. Then, the rules were generated using the minimum support set to 0.2 and the confidence to 0.8. Only the rules with the consequence ‘high yield’ were screened. The best yield patterns were observed in the Guinean Zone, followed by the Sudanian. The results indicated that high tomato yield was associated with low ET in all areas considered. Minimum and maximum temperatures, maximum humidity, and Sun were medium in every Zone. Moreover, rainfall was high in the Sudanian Zone, unlike the other regions where it remained medium. These results are useful in assessing climate variability’s impact on tomato production. Thus, they can help farmers make informed decisions on cultivation practices to optimize production in a changing environment. In addition, the findings of this study can be considered in other regions and adapted to other crops.</div