Lectures in the class: 21 hours.
Introduction to the course. Content and organization, final exam modality. Overview of agricultural research in Italy and in the global context. Data collection. Inductive and deductive methods. Basic concepts of experimental methodology. Scientific literature search: Scopus. Research gate. Web of Science.
Sampling. Descriptive statistics: frequency distributions, central indices, variability indices. Data presentation. Theoretical frequency distributions. Normal distribution. Central Limit theorem. Parametric and non-parametric tests for the comparison of means. Student's t test: assumptions, data transformation, paired and non-paired data, Fisher's F test. Comparisons of groups of means. Analysis of variance (ANOVA). Assumptions and functioning of ANOVA. ANOVA for completely randomized design (CRD) and for randomized complete blocks design (RCBD). Multiple-comparison of means from computation of least significant difference (LSD) and post-hoc tests. Experiments with 2 or more factors, concept of interaction. ANOVA for factorial and split-plot design.
Relationships between two variables: simple parametric Pearson's correlation and non-parameric Spearman's correlation, simple linear regression.

Practicals in the computer room: 27 hours.
During the practicals excercises on the topics explained during the lectures are carried out in the computer room. Real experimental data are provided, as well as a hand-out with the instruction for their analysis, and the students are encouraged to work independently for the processing of the data using MS Excel for Windows and the DSAASTAT plug-in (downloadable from the Moodle platform).

Slides of the lectures provided by the lecturer
Handouts of practicals provided by the lecturer
Books:
Monti A., 2005. "Metodologia statistica per la sperimentazione agronomica. Aspetti generali" Aracne Editore
Fowler J.; Cohen Louis, 2002. “Statistica per ornitologi e naturalisti”. Franco Muzzio Editore

Additional suggested reading:
Gomez K.A., Gomez A.A., 1984. Statistical Procedures for Agricultural Research. 2nd edn. John Wiley & Sons, New York. (per gli schemi sperimentali e l'ANOVA)
Sokhal Rholf, 1995. "Biometry: The Principles and Practices of Statistics in Biological Research”