Top Statistical Software Packages for Agricultural Research

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Agricultural research involves the use of statistical techniques for efficient research design, data collection, analysis to get reliable results. There are many commercial and free statistical software for general statistical analysis that are also applicable in agricultural researches, while some are exclusively developed for agricultural research. Some of the software tools are used for agricultural data collection, while others are used for experimental designs and data analysis

Agricultural Field Data Collection Software Tools

1. FieldLab

2. ODK Collect

3.     Magpi+

ODK Collect

Open Data Kit (ODK) is an open-source software for data collection and management. It is used in farm survey data, ranging from text, pictures and location mapping using GPS according to research needs. It works both online and offline, and updates data regularly once online. ODK supports multiple languages, and it has mobile and desktop versions. It advance version, ODK-X, offers tools for more complex workflows. It allows for JavaScript customisation that gives flexible suite with further features for longitudinal data entry, bidirectional synchronization, and on-device data management.

Magpi+

Magpi is a mobile app that can be used to create mobile forms for data collection. It used data capturing for agricultural research. It can also be used for health, environmental and industry sectors surveys. Some of its functions include mobile survey, photo and GPS stamping. Magpi is compatible with both Android and iOS devices. It is easy to use, starting from downloading app to setting up of account, create in a form, you can start collecting data straightaway.

Agricultural Experiment Design, Data Analysis Software Tools

1. R

2.     Statistical Tool for Agricultural Research (STAR)

3. Plant Breeding Tools (PBTools)

4. Statistical Package for Animal Breeding (SPAB)

5.    CropStat

6. Statistical Package for Augmented Design (SPAD)

7. Statistical Package for Balanced Incomplete Block Designs (SPDB)

8. Software for Survey Data Analysis (SSDA)

9. JMP

10. SPSS

11. Develve

12. InvivoStat

13. SAS

14. Minitab

15.   GraphPad Prism

16.   Statistica


R is an open source statistical software that has the capabilities of handling data analysis and visualization, and heavy computing. It is programming command line interface (CLI). It has many packages integration which are used for medical researches especially in the areas epidemiological, molecular biological, biostatistics, meta-analyses. R-studio integrated Development Environment (IDE) that contains R tools works the same way Oracle Data Base Engine that uses SQL works. R statistical software tools is relatively new, as it first version was released in 1993 and the version with IDE released in 2011. R is compatible with some other statistical software that uses spreadsheet like Excel, Stars, SAS.

STAR – Statistical Tools for Agricultural Research

STAR is developed with Eclipse Rich Client Platform (RCP) and R Language for crop research (plant breading and generic analysis). The graphic user interface of STAR makes it easy to use. It provides modules for randomization and design of experiment layout for crop research, data management, and statistical data analysis. It has the capabilities to perform descriptive statistics analysis, hypothesis testing of experiments, data management, estimation of breeding values, mating design analysis, multivariate analysis, regression and correlation analysis, stability analysis

PBTools

PBTools which means Plant Breeding Tools, is statistical software for plant breeders. It is developed using Eclipse Rich Client Platform with friendly user interface. With the use of PBTools, data from plant breeding can be analysed  with speed and accuracy for effective decision making. It an easy to use tool with good user interface

PBTools provides modules for single and multi-environment  trails analysis (METs). Plant Genotypes are either used as fixed or random effect (factor). The outputs include ANOVA tables, pairwise comparison, and for METs,  regression-based stability parameter, Shukla's stability variance, All Effect and Multiplicative Interaction implemented.

SPAB 2.0

Statistical Package for Animal Breeding is a statistical software package developed specially for animal breading and animal genetics research, and can assist in teaching statistical genetics to postgraduate students and aid the work of researchers in statistics with interest in animal sciences. SPAB2.0 is a Window bases software, it’suser friendly and can be used by both students and researchers. It has 37 useful programs group in to 10 modules. It has the capabilities to run Analysis of Mixed Model Data as in LSML Package developed by Walter R. Harvey, Adjustment for different non-genetic effects, Best linear unbiased prediction (BLUP) for Single traits and for multiple traits, Ire evaluation using SRLS and Sire evaluation using REML. It is also used for computation of Mean and SE for different classification, Genetic parameters for half Sib data and for full data, Coefficient of Repeatability and Producing Ability. It provides computation of Selection Index (Hazel’s Method) Restricted Selection Index, Sire Indices for different models, Osborne’s index, Cunningham’s Selection Index. Diallel analysis can be performed for data with unequal classifications, for different modeling situations viz., Analysis of complete 3 x 3 non-orthogonal Diallel crosses data, Analysis of complete 4 X 4 or above non-orthogonal Diallel cross data with or without pure breds, Analysis of 4 X 4 or above non-orthogonal Diallel cross data without reciprocals and pure breeds. One can calculate Inbreeding coefficient, Genetic Gain and Genetic trend. Multivariate Analysis has programs for D Square analysis, Multiple Regression Analysis (Step-up / Step-down methods, all possible combinations) and Principal Component Analysis. Most of the Non-Parametric tests can also provided in the package. Help is provided and it is having a User Manual which one can study and use.

SPBD 1.0

Statistical Package for Balanced Incomplete Block Designs is a agricultural research software that has the module that can be used to generate a randomized layout of Balanced Incomplete Block Design. It is an easy to use software tool which can be used by students, researchers in field of agriculture as well as in field of statistics for experimental designs or computing genetic parameters for one-way and two-way classified data (ANOVA and ANACOVA).

Using the software you can generate BIB designs with replication numbers of up to 30 for symmetric BIB designs and 20 for asymmetric BIB designs. The packages can run analysis of variance ANOVA for treatments adjusted and block adjusted sum of squares, adjusted treatment means, estimated treatment contrasts variance and the contract sum of squares, and so on.

CropStat

CropStat is a statistical software for data management and statistical analysis of experimental data from agricultural field trials. Although, it is primary developed for agricultural field trials data analysis, can as well be used data analysis in other sector. CropStat7.2 has the capabilities to perform the following: data management with spreadsheet, descriptive statistics and Scatterplot Diagrams, linear mixed models, balanced and unbalanced analysis, combined analysis of variance, analysis of repeated measures, regression and correlation analysis, genotype x environment interaction analysis, single-site analysis of variety analysis, pattern analysis, quantitative trait loci analysis etc

CropStat can run in any Windows operating system of 32-bit. To install the program on your computer, unzip the file and run the file SETUP.EXE in the installation folder. To start the program, run the file CROPSTAT.EXE, or click the icon that will be installed by the SETUP program.

SPAD – Statistical Packages for Augmented Design 

SPAD is a statistical software package applicable for agricultural experiment designing for comparing varieties in existing practices, called control, called tests, new practices/varieties or germplasm collections, if material for test is not enough and not possible to replicate them in the design. SPAD has the capabilities of generating randomized layout of an augmented Randomized Complete Block (RCB) design and augmented complete block design with equal or u equal block sizes. The software runs analysis of data generated from augmented (complete, incomplete ) block designs. The treatment sum of squares are divided into components of interest such as among test treatments, among control treatments, and among treatments and control treatments. The package can also run pairwise treatment comparisons and null hypothesis testing on other fields.

SSDA 1.0

Software for Survey Data Analysis, as the name implies, is  a software used for statistical analysis of survey data. It makes use of systematic simple random sampling (SRS), stratified, cluster two stage and stratified tow stage sampling, probability proportional to size (PPS) schemes in analysing DAT collected from field survey. The analysis provides the estimates of population mean, variance and design efficiency of the sampling scheme in comparison to the simple random sampling without replacement. It also provides descriptive statistics of the data without consideration of sampling design i.e. measures of central tendency like mean and median and measures of dispersion like range, variance, coefficient of variation, skewness and kurtosis. The software complete missing data using commonly used computation method. It ISNA user-friendly software that provides step-by-step guide to the user through out the data analysis process. The package is useful to student, researchers in statistics in the area of sample survey analysis.

Read also: Top 13 Statistical Software for Medical Research

JMP

JMP which stands for Jonh’s Macintosh Program is a statistical software for insight-driven improvement. Is veritable tool for trial test analysis to know what works and what doesn’t in areas of Chemistry, Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology. Its also applicable in business analysis and insight, design of experiments in biology and agriculture. JMP software combines interactive visualization with powerful statistics, predictive modeling and machine learning

John's Macintosh Program has five products suitable for different industries: JMP, JMP Pro, JMP Clinical, JMP Genomics and JMP Graph Builder App.

JMP allows the use of R and Excel ad-ins, it also offers capabilities to integrate data files from other tools like SAS, SPSS Stats etc. 

SPSS

SPSS stands for Statistical Package for Social Science. SPSS, a product of IBM, is a comprehensive software tool for statistical computing and analysis. It has the capability of performing of statistical data analysis task with an easy-to-use graphical user interface. SPSS is best suited for analysis of variance (ANOVA) and analysis of covariance (ANACOVA), and to use it, you need to have good understanding of statistics.

Develve

Develve is a statistical software that provides a technical environment for fast and easy analysis and interpretation of experimental data in science and research and development (R&D). Use of Develve software helps researchers especially medical and agric researchers to make accurate decisions rather than making false assumptions. It is easy to be used by students as well as professional.

InvivoStat

It is a powerful tool in animal experiment as does not require large sample sizes. It allows the scientist to get better understanding of the analysis processes and help make informed decision and to design efficient studies in the future.

SAS

SAS which means Statistical Analysis Software is the basis for most of the new statistical analysis software. National Institute of Health funded the development of this software to aid the agricultural data analysis for improved crop yield. The Software was programmed in 1966 by Anthony Bar of North Carolina State University, and James Goodnight  SAS analytics are applied in many fields such as  science ( health and agriculture ), engineering, social science (demographic studies), business and finance analysis. SAS has a very good interactive Graphic user interface, although the technicalities in SAS is too complex and there require adequate knowledge of statistics and computing. SAS is compatible with files from most of other statistical software such as SPSS file (.say), JMP (.jmp), Excel (.xls), ext files (.text, .dat, .csv). Data files can also be exported and imported out of or into SAS windows.

Minitab

Minitab Statistical Software is used for different statistical data analysis starting from basic statistics to professional statistics. It used in predictive mark trend analysis, experimental design, Balanced Incomplete Block Design, ANOVA, ANACOVA,  and medical research data analysis. It uses graphic user interface that makes easy to be used by even novice.

GraphPad Prism

This software is has capabilities that to run t-test, ANAOVA. It is unique from other statistical software in way that it comes with an interpreted result analysis page after the output results. GraphPad Prism also has default feature that combines the analysis and the graphical results in one snapshot, without having to do each separately and to prevent alterations in the data. It is mostly used by biologists, and it helps in performing laboratory research and clinical trial test using the t-test, one-way ANOVA, logic regression model, survival analysis, contingency table, life expectancy table.

Statistica

Statistics is a suite of analytical software tool with data management, analysis visualization, data mining and machine learning. It enables R programming environment integration which provides additional analytical techniques.

Originally developed by StatSoft, but now owned by TIBCO, Statistica  is compatible with Excel,IBM SPSS, JMP, Stata files thereby allowing for import and export of data from other tools without copying manually.

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