Pesticide usage in Scotland 2016: soft fruit crops – revised 2020
Revised report to correct inaccuracies in active substance application weight data that were overestimated in the original soft fruit crop 2016 report published in 2017.
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Appendix 5 – Standard errors
The figures presented in this report are produced from surveying a sample of holdings rather than a census of all the holdings in Scotland. Therefore the figures are estimates of the total pesticide use for Scotland and should not be interpreted as exact. To give an indication of the precision of estimates, the report includes relative standard errors (RSE) (Tables 48 & 49). Standard errors are produced using the raising factors. An overall variance is calculated by summing the variance estimates for individual strata (region and size group) multiplied by the square of their raising factors. These variance estimates include a finite population correction. The overall standard error is calculated from the overall variance by taking its square root. This method of standard estimation was implemented as it is both relatively straightforward and has advantages over ratio estimator methods when within-strata sample sizes are small.
Standard errors are expressed as percentage relative standard errors (Tables 48 & 49) for both total pesticide use by area treated and for weight applied. Larger relative standard errors mean that the estimates are less precise. A relative standard error of 0 per cent would be achieved by a census. A relative standard error of 100 per cent indicates that the error in the survey is of the same order as the measurement. Relative standard errors may be reduced with larger sample sizes. However, larger relative standard errors can also result from greater variability in pesticide use among holdings.
The RSE for estimates of total pesticide use on all soft fruit crops (protected and non-protected) was 10 per cent for area and 19 per cent for quantity (Table 48).
The RSE for constituent protected and non-protected crop groups varied from six to 71 per cent for area and six to 44 per cent for weight (Table 49), varying with sample size and uniformity of pesticide regime encountered. However, due to insufficient data, RSE values could not be calculated for all strata and the overall RSE values for protected and non-protected soft fruit should be treated with caution.
Table 48 Relative standard errors for total soft fruit - 2016
Relative standard errors (RSE) for the area treated (ha) with pesticide and for weight of active substance (kg) applied
| Crops | Area RSE (%) | Weight RSE (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Raspberry | 19 | 25 |
| Strawberry(1) | 9 | 14 |
| Blackcurrant(1) | 18 | 26 |
| Other soft fruit | 24 | 30 |
| All soft fruit crops | 10 | 19 |
Table 49 Relative standard errors for protected and non-protected soft fruit crops - 2016
Relative standard errors (RSE) for the area treated (ha) with pesticide and for weight of active substance (kg) applied
| Crops | Area RSE (%) | Weight RSE (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Protected raspberry(1) | 14 | 21 |
| Protected strawberry(1) | 8 | 15 |
| Protected other soft fruit(1) | 6 | 6 |
| Non-protected raspberry(1) | 27 | 44 |
| Non-protected strawberry(1) | 71 | 14 |
| Non-protected blackcurrant(1) | 18 | 25 |
| Non-protected other soft fruit(1) | 29 | 23 |
| All non-protected crops(1) | 23 | 28 |
| All protected crops(1) | 9 | 13 |
(1) For these crops standard errors could not be calculated for all strata due to insufficient data in the sample, as these strata have not been used in the aggregate totals for the region and the overall RSE values should be treated with caution
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