*2.7. Statistical Analyses*

The pilot study followed a completely randomized design with five replications and one plant per replication. In the follow-up experiment, a randomized complete block design with four replications (blocks) and ten plants per experimental unit was used before plants were transplanted to larger pots, when the number was reduced to six plants per experimental unit. Data were analyzed using a linear mixed model in the GLIMMIX procedure of SAS (SAS Version 9.4 for Windows; SAS Institute, Cary, NC, USA). Some data were transformed by taking the square root to meet the assumptions of the model (normality, homogeneity, linearity) as needed, while results were presented using the original data following statistical analysis. Fisher's least significant difference (LSD) test (α = 0.05) was conducted for multiple comparisons of different measurements among treatments.
