Augmented RCBD Analysis in R

Overview

This R script performs Augmented Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) analysis for unbalanced experimental data. It is designed for plant breeders who want to evaluate large diversity panels where test genotypes are unreplicated, using checks as references to estimate errors.

The script allows users to:

• Analyze augmented RCBD trials with incomplete blocks.
• Compute ANOVA for all traits.
• Estimate variance components.
• Calculate broad-sense heritability (H²).
• Generate adjusted means for all genotypes.
• Use checks as references to correct for block effects, allowing robust evaluation of unreplicated genotypes.

This workflow enables breeders to efficiently test large sets of genotypes without requiring full replication, saving space and resources while obtaining reliable statistical estimates.

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Features

• Supports multiple traits in one dataset.
• Generates ANOVA tables and summaries.
• Provides Genotypic Variance Analysis (GVA) and variance components.
• Calculates broad-sense heritability per trait.
• Produces adjusted means of genotypes for comparison.
• Can output results to Word documents (.docx) for easy reporting.
• Handles augmented, unbalanced designs using augmentedRCBD package.

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Input Requirements

• An Excel file with columns for:
  • Block – experimental blocks
  • Genotype – test and check genotypes
  • Trait columns (numeric values for measured traits)
• Test genotypes do not require replication, while checks are used as reference to estimate experimental error.

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Output

The script generates:

• ANOVA tables for each trait.
• Variance components (genotypic, residual, etc.).
• Broad-sense heritability (H²) estimates for each trait.
• Adjusted means of all genotypes.
• Optional frequency distributions and descriptive statistics.
• Outputs are saved as Word documents (.docx) for reporting.

Note See a sample analysis and it's application here

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Citation

If you use this script, please cite the underlying R package:

Aravind, J., Mukesh Sankar, S., Wankhede, D. P., and Kaur, V.
augmentedRCBD: Analysis of Augmented Randomised Complete Block Designs.
R package version 0.1.7.9000,
https://aravind-j.github.io/augmentedRCBD/
CRAN link

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Author

Ehtisham Khokhar
New Mexico State University
Email: ehtishamshakeel@gmail.com