An Objective Method of Recording and Comparing the Shapes of Carrot Roots

Abstract

It is assumed that the shape of a carrot root lies between that of a cylinder and a cone having the same maximum diameter and length as the root. By determining the diameter, length and weight of roots it is shown that a statistical comparison of the shapes of populations of roots is possible. This is illustrated by an analysis of data on ten varieties of carrots.A method of constructing the mean shape of a population of roots is also described.