A comparison of methods for measuring the effect of level of application on the relative effectiveness of two fertilizers

The effectiveness of a slowly soluble source of phosphate relative to a soluble source may decrease with increasing levels of application. This may cause yields to approach a lower asymptote. Four methods for measuring this effect are compared using field experiments in which a calcined rock phosphate (Calciphos) was compared with superphosphate for growth of subterranean clover. The methods were: subjective estimates using a hand drawn calibration curve; objective estimates using a fitted calibration curve; objective estimates using the fit of separate response curves; and objective estimates from the fit of a common response surface in which relative effectiveness was related to level of application. The role of these four methods differs. The first method, though often informative, is suitable only for an initial inspection of the data. The other three methods may all be useful for analysis but the fourth method was the most general. It gave the most sensitive statistical test and had the further advantage that it was a direct test of the hypothesis. All four methods showed that the relative effectiveness of Calciphos decreased with increasing levels of application.