Randomised Complete Block Design (Unequal Replication)
A randomised complete block design where treatments can have different numbers of replicates within each block. The replication structure is the same across all blocks.
Design Reference — what this design is, parameters explained, output guide
Randomised Complete Block Design — Unequal Replication
A randomised complete block design where treatments can have different numbers of replicates within each block. The replication structure is the same across all blocks.
Use when: You want a blocked design but some treatments need more plots than others within each block (e.g. a standard variety replicated more heavily as a reference).
Parameters
| Parameter | Type | Default | Min | Max | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
experiment_name |
text | "" |
— | — | Name of the experiment |
treatment_factor |
text | "Variety" |
— | — | Label for the treatment factor |
treatment_count |
integer | 2 |
2 | 500 | Number of distinct treatments |
block_factor |
text | "Block" |
— | — | Label for the blocking factor |
block_count |
integer | 2 |
1 | 100 | Number of blocks |
unit_label |
text | "Plot" |
— | — | Label for each experimental unit |
reps_per_treatment_per_block |
list of integers | [2, 2] |
1 | 100 | Number of times each treatment appears within each block — one value per treatment |
treatment_names |
list | None |
— | — | Optional custom treatment names |
seed |
integer | 0 |
— | — | Random seed |
Constraints
reps_per_treatment_per_blockmust have exactlytreatment_countinteger values- Each value must be between 1 and 100
- Total units =
sum(reps_per_treatment_per_block) × block_countmust not exceed 5,000
Output
List View
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| Unit | Sequential unit number |
| block_factor | Which block this unit belongs to |
| unit_label | Plot number within the block |
| treatment_factor | Treatment allocated |
Layout View
A grid with variable block sizes: - Rows = plots within a block (height varies by block size) - Columns = blocks
Total units: sum(reps_per_treatment_per_block) × block_count
Algorithm
- For each block independently:
- Replicate each treatment according to its entry in
reps_per_treatment_per_block - Randomly shuffle the resulting list
- Assign sequential plot numbers
- Number units sequentially across all blocks
Example
With treatment_count = 2, reps_per_treatment_per_block = [2, 1], block_count = 2:
Each block has 3 plots: T1 appears twice, T2 appears once — randomly arranged within each block.