Srinivasagan N. Subhashree1, Rahul Goel2, Manuel Marcaida III1, Juan Carlos Ramos-Tanchez1, and Quirine M. Ketterings1
1 Nutrient Management Spear Program (NMSP) and 2Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Cornell University
Simplifying On-Farm Research with Single-Strip Trials
On-farm research is a powerful tool to advance crop management, providing practical, field-specific insights. However, traditional designs such as the randomized complete block design, often referred to as replicated strip trials, are often difficult to implement on-farm due to time, equipment, and labor demands. With more farms collecting yield data with monitor systems, there is now an opportunity to conduct on-farm research using the Single-Strip Spatial Evaluation Approach (SSEA), which compares yield from one field-length treatment strip (at least two harvester widths) to two control strips using a spatial model. This new approach takes into account current year yield and pre-existing field variability, and reports results per yield stability zones: Q1 (high and stable), Q2 (high and variable), Q3 (low and variable), and Q4 (low and stable). As one farmer noted, “Multiple years with the SSEA has helped us tune in where we could be improving nutrient placement… The practicality and ease of use makes it a welcome trial on a busy farm.”
Until recently, SSEA analyses required support from NMSP staff. To help farmers and advisors conduct these evaluations independently, we developed a new web-based tool (https://ssea-nmsp-tool.shinyapps.io/SSEA-tool-CornellNMSP/) that automates the analysis and provides result visuals and downloadable reports (Figure 1).
New Webtool to Support Spatial Evaluation of Single-Strip Trials
A free web-based tool was developed to automate the spatial analysis and provide interpretations of trial results without the need for statistical expertise. The tool was developed with feedback from a statewide advisory committee, who helped refine the visual outputs and ensure the tool met user’s needs. The interface includes four tabs: Inputs & Analysis, Results, Report, and About. When users first open the tool, only the Inputs & Analysis and About tabs are visible; the Results and Report tabs appear once the necessary files are uploaded, and the analysis is complete.
The Inputs & Analysis tab requires four inputs: (1) treatment and control strip locations, (2) a yield stability zone map, (3) temporal average yield layers, and (4) current-year yield data. The interface is designed to be simple and intuitive, with a satellite basemap, zoom tools, and checkboxes that allow users to view each layer individually. For farmers who share yield monitor data with the NMSP as part of the New York On-Farm Research Partnership, all tool inputs other than the strip location(s) are already prepared and shared in a ready-to-use format. Detailed instructions for creating strip shapefiles are available in the user guidelines found in the About tab.
Once the inputs are uploaded, the tool generates two key visuals: (1) a donut plot showing the distribution of yield stability zones in the field and in the strips, and (2) a confidence chart that summarizes the likelihood of yield benefit or loss as a result of the management change implemented in the treatment strip. These outputs appear in the Results tab. The tool then auto-interprets these results and compiles them into editable text boxes in the Report tab, allowing users to refine the language before downloading a polished, two-page PDF report. By delivering fast and easy-to-interpret results, the tool enables farmers to evaluate more trials and helps reduce key barriers to the adoption of on-farm research.
Case Study Results
A farm in central New York partnered with NMSP to test an agricultural product in a 23.5-acre corn silage field using the single strip approach. The treatment strip was two chopper widths wide, placed away from field edges, and positioned to allow equal-width control strips on either side. Strip locations, yield stability zone maps (derived from three years of historical yield data), temporal average yield, and current-year yield data were uploaded into the SSEA webtool.
The zone distribution donut plot (Figure 2) confirmed that the treatment and control strips captured the major yield stability zones present in the field. In this field, the consistently low-yielding zone (Q4) represented the largest large portion (43%). The placement of the treatment strip was such that all four zones were represented but with more datapoints for zone Q2 (35%) and Q1 (34%) than for Q2 (20%) and Q3 (11%).
The confidence chart produced by the SSEA webtool showed a high confidence (dark purple, 81-100% confident) of a yield benefit in lower yielding zones with increases of 0.5 to 0.75 tons/acre for Q3 and 0.75 to 1 tons/acre for Q4; however, for high yielding zones, Q1 and Q2, this yield increase was not seen. Thus, the product that was tested by the farmer helped improve yields in the lower yielding zones only. The economic value of applying the product can be assessed by combining the information from the confidence chart, the distribution of yield stability zones in the farm, and the costs involved with applying the product versus the value of a yield increase. If the yield benefits outweigh the costs for Q3 and Q4, any field with a substantial area of these two zones could be targeted for use of the product while applications to fields with mostly Q1 and Q2 where a yield benefit is not expected. If targeted use in portions of the field is an option, the product would be used for Q3 and Q4 zones within different fields as well. For results to stand the test of time, it is highly recommended to test products or management changes across years and across multiple fields. The SSEA approach can combine information for multiple fields and years.
Conclusions
The single-strip approach provides a practical way to evaluate management practices on-farm while accounting for within-field variability and minimizing disturbance of field operations. The SSEA webtool provides a platform to evaluate single-strip trials using yield monitor data and yield stability zone maps.
Full Citation
This article is summarized from: Subhashree, S.N., R. Goel, M. Marcaida III, J.C. Ramos-Tanchez, and Q.M. Ketterings (2025). Enhancing on-farm research with a web-based single-strip spatial evaluation tool: Design, features, and applications. Agronomy Journal, 56(3): e70264. DOI: 10.1002/agj2.70264
Acknowledgments
This research was supported (in part) by Cornell Atkinson’s Center for Sustainability, Northern New York Agricultural Development Program (NNYADP), New York Farm Viability Institute (NYFVI), New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets (NYSAGM), New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC), and by intramural research program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Hatch NYC‐127459. The findings and conclusions in this publication have not been formally disseminated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and should not be construed to represent agency determination or policy. For questions about these results contact Quirine M. Ketterings at 607-255-3061
or qmk2@cornell.edu, and/or visit the Cornell Nutrient Management Spear Program website at: http://nmsp.cals.cornell.edu/.
