Linear Mixed Model for Genotype Selection of Sorghum Yield

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

While the idea and topic of study is very interesting, this entire article is poorly written. Grammar and sentence construction needs to be thoroughly revised. in addition, a significant section of the manuscript has ideas that are very confusing and unclear to the reader. 

Copied below are some of the sections from the article that requires a lot of revision

 

Abstract – This section of the manuscript is poorly written.

For instance, the sections of sentences copied below from the abstract are so difficult to comprehend what the authors intended to communicate. Some of the ideas presented here are very conflicting and confusing to the reader.

GLM data analysis assumed all factors were fixed effects and selected the best performer performing genotypes based on mean performance using the BLUE technique.

The study found that sorghum production was hampered by drought, which restricts sorghum growth leading to a shortage of water.  The application of irrigation reduced sorghum production from 3.17 to 2.48 t/ha, ensuring that the difference in sorghum production between treatments (with and without irrigation) is 0.69 t/ha. The study compared the ANOVA method and the linear mixed model, with the evidence of mixed model is more accurate than the ANOVA method, especially for selecting the best performer genotype. To select the best performer genotypes for sorghum yield traits, the linear mixed model is generally recommended - These sentences are very confusing

 

1.       Introduction

 

L36 -   70.43 percent of sorghum production in Ethiopia is used for farmer household food, with the remainder used for animal feed and in-kind utility to farmers (CSA, 2020) - Revise avoid starting a sentence with a number.

 

The authors need to consider re-writing this section – poor use of grammar and tenses in sentence construction. Ideas are not well flowing and interesting to the reader.

 

2.       Materials and Methods

 

L81- The design of experiment was an incomplete 81 block design called lattice square design that contains 14 blocks, and each block contains 14 experimental units (plot) where the genotypes were applied and two replications for each treatment levels that are a non-irrigated condition having a lack of water and the condition having sufficient – Consider re-writing this section. The ideas are very confusing.

 

2.2. Data Nature – poorly constructed sentences, grammar, and lots of confusing ideas for the reader.

2.3. Linear Mixed Model – fix grammar and sentence construction

Author Response

I attached the revised manuscript

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Reviewer 2 Report

Dear Authors, 

Proposed study entitled "Linear Mixed Model for Genotype Selection of Sorghum Yield" is very impressive but can you please improve and incorporate the following suggestions 

1- Abstract:  Abstract need improvement with following points 

1- Line 13 starting with abbriviation i.e. GLM, Please use the complete word rather to start with abbrivations.  

2- Key words need more appropriate and improvement 

2- Introduction

a. Scope and objective are not clear please improve and incorporate

b. The novelty of work is missing. Add at end of the introduction

c. achieving sustainability goal should be explained at least onc paragraph

d. Why the current area is chosen for the study? Explain in the introduction

3- Methodology: Ok

4- Results 

1-  Add tables with their error values obtained where ever necessary.

2- The limitation of the work is not explained. Explain at least half of the page before the conclusion.

4- In Results & discussion section the citation of literature is missing in many places, Please incorporate the suggestions. 

5- There is lot of grammatical and sentence error. Check it throughout

6- Improve the conclusion with few more information

5- References

Please have a look  on all the references carefully once again according to recommended APA format. 

 

Good Luck 

Author Response

The revised manuscript is attached below.

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Round 2

Reviewer 1 Report

While the topic and subject of study is very interesting and relevant, the authors should work on improving this article. There are several grammatical and improper use of tenses within the entire article.

I highly recommend and suggest that the authors take time and read through the manuscript to improve on its readability.

Author Response

please see the attachement.

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Round 3

Reviewer 1 Report

L21 The design was 14×14 square experimental units (plots) that 196 genotypes arranged 21 in which each row of the square is represented as a block receiving 14 genotypes……This sentence does not read correctly. Please revise.

 The authors need to improve the quality of this manuscript. The grammatical errors are improving but still they are not up to standard. My suggestion is for the authors to find an external expert who can assist editing the manuscript and making it more comprehensible.

 

 

L26 The implementation of irrigation increased the grain yield from 2.48 to 26 3.17 t/ha, ensuring that the difference in grain yield between treatments (with and without irrigation) is 0.69 t/ha……I think the use of word ‘ensuring’ distorts the intended meaning. Consider revision and use an appropriate word such as ‘indicating’ etc.

 

 L39 The production of sorghum in Ethiopia used for household food consumption of the formers which accounts for 70.43 per cent of the production and the rest of the sorghum production used for animal feed and in-kind utility to farmers (CSA, 2020). In its current state, this sentence is very difficult to comprehend. Consider revision.

L43 off which grain yield is the main component of the characteristics. Off which is not grammatically correct. Instead……of which

 

L46 The studies found that there was a significant difference among genotypes on yield and yield related traits and also indicated the effect of drought stress on sorghum production was analyzing using ANOVA, which considers all the factors as fixed effects, cluster analysis and principal component analysis………. Consider revising this sentence to clearly communicate the intended ideas. In its current state, several ideas are mixed up into a single sentence which distorts the intended meaning.

 

Materials and methods

L91 The experiment has a treatment with two levels such that rainfed (insufficient water availability) and irrigated (indication of the presence of sufficient water) conditions…. the highlighted words distort the meaning of the sentence. Consider using different words to clearly communicate the intended message.

 

L93 Under each treatment level, there are two replications through which lattice square de sign was used for data generation from each replication of the levels separately. The design was 14×14 square experimental units (plots) that 196 genotypes arranged in 95 which each row of the square is represented as a block receiving 14 genotypes. The genotypes were applied on experimental units that all genotypes were included in a replication……. very difficult to comprehend what the authors intended to communicate here. The sentences are poorly constructed; hence, they do not read correctly.

 

 

L111 The linear mixed model provides flexible in fitting models for various combinations………highlighted word should probably read as flexibility.

 

………………….be fixed effects, and the estimates of the parameters are obtained from the BLUE technique (Zewotir & Galpin, 2005) …., (consider inserting the correct punctuation. This sentence is too long lumping several ideas together. A period will be better than a comma) ….However, considering the genotypes as the random effect is  important to investigate the impact of genetic gain for the response and its estimate is  obtained by BLUP which is crucial to select the best genotypes for future plant breeding and BLUP is more accurate than the fixed effect estimates, estimated by BLUE, in  ANOVA(H. P. Piepho A. E, 2008).

 

3. Results of the study

 

 

L166 The distribution of the measurements of grain yield is 2.48 ±0.71 t/ha…...did the author intend to report average yield or distribution. From Table 2, 2.48 is reported as the mean yield…

 

L173 ……... compare with grain yield………compare or compared?

 

L174 The production of grain yield of sorghum in drought is more consistent than the sorghum production with sufficient water availability, which ensures the yield of genotypes under non-irrigated are concentrated near to the mean and generate less variable grain yields for the genotypes………. Usage of the words highlighted in red distorts the message the authors intended to communicate. Please consider revising.

 

Starting L198…. The authors need to correctly point the readers to the figures they are referring to. It is important for the authors to annotate every point that they are trying to highlight. For example, in the following sentence………. The scatter plots of the new data points fitted on the normal line show that the new data sets have a normal distribution (0.9811±0.33) with a lower standard deviation compared to the untransformed data values of the grain yield (2.82±1.017)……the authors need to reference the figure they are talking about

Author Response

See the attached response of the comments!!

Author Response File: Author Response.docx