University of Eastern Philippines

University Town, Catarman N. Samar

A.Y. 2022-2023

The Effects of Using Organic Fertilizer

in the Growth of Petchay
(Brassica rapa)

A Narrative Report/Research Paper

in
Crop Science II

Submitted By
Randy B. Orua

Submitted To
Dr. Leovegildo B. Mante, PhD.
Course Professor

Date Submitted
 I. INTRODUCTION
According to some studies, the agriculture sector is unsustainable in the
aspect of feeding the ever-expanding population globally without creating insights
about the environmental problem it creates, especially regarding the soil health.
Fields are optimized through the use of technologies and different practices that fail
to achieve the standards for sustainability. A lot of farmers practice the use of
basically chemical-based fertilizers which results to a considerable contribution to the
degrading of our natural resources, particularly the soil. The excessive use of
fertilizers, mainly inorganic, have made pollution to surface and groundwater
resources.
There is an impressive amount of farms, and even residential areas, that plant
vegetables. It has been practiced for centuries here in Philippines. It plays a very
important role for every Filipinos commodity. According to Chauburg, aside from
letting individuals meet their need for vitamins, protein, and mineral requirements,
planting vegetables also serve as a reliable source of income for farmers. It brings
relatively higher income than other crops due to the reason that growers can
produce a greater number of crops in a smaller area for a short period of time.
Petchay or pechay (Brassica rapa) belongs to the Brassiceae family and a
popular vegetable in the Philippines. Also known as snow cabbage, Chinese chard or
Chinese white cabbage is consumed both as raw and cooked. Ideally, it is eaten raw
to prevent possible loss of its nutritional value when heated. It is an excellent source of
income and a hobby even for limited space adopting the very popular vertical
gardening with the use of recycled containers as potting media. It therefore have an
important role in the Philippine economy as well as in the nutrition of Filipinos. It is
used mainly for its young, but fully expanded green leaves. The most often preferred
part is its succulent petioles.
The fertilizer that farmers most commonly used are the inorganic one.
However, the supply of it is limited and will incur high cost to growers. On the other
hand, the preparation of organic fertilizers may be long and laborious, it will give
more benefits to the soil as well as to the plant. Aside from its ability to supply
nutrients, organic fertilizers are also capable of improving the physical, chemical, and
biological properties of the soil which will be a significant factor for the yield and
development of the crops.
Keeping in view that the petchay growth and development will be achieved,
the use of different organic fertilizers such as goat manure, carabao manure, chicken
dung, and humus will be practiced. Since there is an increased in demand of
organically produced vegetables due to its health and functional benefits. This
research paper aimed to evaluate the effect of different type of organic fertilizers as a
source of nutrients on the growth and yield performance of petchay.
II. OBJECTIVES
This research paper is aimed to achieve the following objectives:
 To evaluate the effect of different type of organic fertilizers to the yield and
development of petchay
 To evaluate what organic fertilizer have more desirable effects to the
growth of petchay

III. MATERIALS AND METHODS

a. Land Preparation
The field are cleared and drained. All of the grasses and other weeds
are removed to give space for planting. Then, every student made their own
plot measuring 5m2 . The plots will fined and leveled. To prepare the soil in the
seed box, it is sterilized to ensure that there are no/less harmful
microorganisms that will attack the seeds.
b. Procurement of Different type of Organic Fertilizers
Carabao manure was taken from certain farms in San Jose N. Samar
and some parts of rice field at Otherside of University of Eastern Philippines.
Chicken dung was secured from some poultry farms and cockfight sheds.
Goat manure was procured from a ruminant farm near the university. Humus
was gathered from forestry field in Scout City and some parts of the university.
c. Seed Production
Seeds of petchay were sown in seed boxes filled with sterilized garden
soil mixed with assigned organic fertilizers. The seed boxes were placed
under a shed to protect the seedlings from rain and direct sunlight. The
students created “lokong” made out of banana leaves for pricking. After a
week, the petchay seedlings are ready for pricking.
d. Pricking & Hardening
Every group pricked their designated seedlings and transfer them into
“lokong” for the roots to develop well without competition with other seedlings
and to ease the transplanting. The seedlings are nurtured in the shed until it
will transplanted in plots. They are hardened by exposing to gradual sunlight
until it is able to withstand a day-long sunlight and other external stresses.
Still, they are watered to avoid any signs of wilting and other diseases.
e. Transplanting
The seedlings are finally hardened and suitable for transplanting. The
plots have 4x20 holes to result 80 hills per plot. The researcher created 84
holes in his plot due to slight miscalculation. Every seedling transplanted are
covered with a piece of banana trunk while the roots and leaves are still
adapting to a new environment.
f. Crop Management
The crops are watered everyday, morning and afternoon, for more than
a month duration. The soil is weeded and cultivated 3 times a week. In the
first 2 weeks of transplanted seedlings, foliar application of 2 tspn. of urea
 dissolved in 1 gallon is practiced as added nitrogen for the crops. In the 4 th
week, the researcher and other students practiced ring method application of
urea to maintain or improve the leaves of petchay.
g. Harvesting
The petchay crops were harvested after 30-35 days from transplanting
and were done late in the afternoon. This was done by cutting the base of the
crops with a sharp bolo to avoid unnecessary damage to the plants. The
harvested crops are weighed for data gathering. Then, the used plot is
covered with race straws to conserve the soil moisture and avoid the growth
of weeds for a month long fallowing.
h. Data Gathering
Data were gathered by finding the crops length and size as well as its
stem size, number of leaves, its average weight and the total weight of the
crops. The researcher randomly selected 10 petchay through fishbowl method
for data gathering. The plants located at the boundary or sides will not be
combined in selecting samples due to the reason that they may have damage
from external such as weeds and pests.
i. Cost of Production
The petchay seeds used are costing Php.65.00 each and are divided by
4 groups, which makes it total to Php. 16.25 per group. The watering and
weeding of plants and soil is considered as labor. The estimated time of labor
last for 1 hour each day, 30 minutes in morning and 30 minutes in the
afternoon. Aside from labor and seed costs, the students also purchased as
estimated ½ kg. of urea for foliar and ring method application with their labor
of applying the said fertilizer which is costing Php.40.00.
 IV. RESULTS DISCUSSION
General Observation
In the first three days after the seeds are sown, the garden soil mixed with
goat manure have shown very desirable germination than other organic fertilizers.
Due to uncontrolled weather and celebration of holidays, some of the petchay
seedlings suffered from temporary wilting and damping-off. Fortunately, only few
seedlings from every group have died and most are retreated. Even after the
seedlings are pricked and transplanted to plots, goat manure have given desirable
development to the seedlings.

Data Analysis
Here are data gathered from plots of every group:
Group 1: Carabao Manure
No. of No. of
Plant randomly Leaf size Stem Size leaves Weight
selected
crop Width Length Width Length
1 1 8.8 10.5 1 5 10 59
2 6 11 11.5 0.9 4 5 52
3 8 9.5 10.5 0.7 3 8 50 Average
4 11 8.5 10 0.7 3 10 50 Weight/
5 30 10.5 11.8 0.8 3 8 48 Plot
6 24 12 9.7 1.2 6 9 51
7 35 9 11 1.4 5.5 7 50
8 29 9.4 10 1.4 4 9 71
9 10 10 12.1 1.5 3 7 49
10 12 10.3 12 1.1 4 10 62
No. of Plants/Plot 78 Total Weight 542 g 3.4 kg
Carabao manure is an farm waste product, an untapped resource that has
been proven to be an effective, safeguard and economic bio-organic fertilizer. It is a
very good bio-material for enhancing soil fertility. This bio-organic resource can be
collected in every farm. Rosco, 2014 mentioned that carabao produces 10 kl. of
manure daily. Chemical analysis show that carabao manure has 18-20 C:N ratio. It
has 24-30% carbon, 0.8-22% nitrogen, 2.07% phosphorus, and 0.12-2.0%
potassium (Agaman, et. al). Carabo manure enhance plant growth because of the
decomposing microorganisms in the rumen and hormones in their urine.
In the table above, it is shown how carabao manure affected the growth and
development of pechay. The average leaf size after harvested is ranging from 10.4 to
16 cm, while the stem size is from 2.56 to 5 cm. The number of leaves produced on
average is 8.3 and average weight of 54.2
Group 2: Chicken Dung
No. of No. of
Plant randomly Leaf size(cm) Stem Size(cm) leaves Weight
selected (g)
crop Width Length Width Length
1 17 14 17 1 6 9 150
2 22 11.5 13 1.3 4 10 55 Average
3 25 17 20 2 7.5 11 175 Weight/
4 15 13.5 14 1 6 11 72 Plot
5 5 15.5 9.6 1 4 8 25
6 13 16 11 1 7 11 113
7 7 12 10 1.3 5 10 26
8 32 12 9 2 6 10 43
9 1 15 11 1 5.5 14 124
10 36 15 17 1 9 14 173
No. of Plants/Plot 79 Total Weight 1062g 7025g
(1 kg) (7 kg)
Chicken dung is a non-synthetic organic fertilizer which mean contains high
level of primary nutrients: nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. It also contains
important micronutrients for plant growth like calcium, magnesium, copper, and zinc.
Chicken dung enhanced the growth of pechay as a soil amendment. This treatment
produces the crop average leaf size ranging from 13.8 to 16 cm, stem size of 3.63
cm, number of leaves is 10.3, and average weight of 106.2 grams.
Group 3: Goat Manure
No. of No. of
Plant randomly Leaf size(cm) Stem Size(cm) leaves Weight(g)
selected
crop Width Length Width Length
1 16 18 19 2 6 12 246
2 24 13 14 1.4 5 10 63 Average
3 26 18 17 1.6 7 10 155 Weight/Plot
4 3 10 12 1 5 8 49
5 35 19 18.5 2 6 13 200
6 28 15 18 1 7 12 190
7 13 11 12 1 5 7 49
8 23 12 13 1 5.5 11 100
9 17 16 17 1.5 8 11 176
10 10 16 15 2 7 10 157
No. of Plants/Plot 81 Total weight 1,385g 9003g
(1.4kg) (9kg)
Goat droppings are commonly used as a fertilizer in gardens and farms. The
naturally dry pellets are not only easy to collect and apply, but are less messy than
other animal wastes. This manure doesn’t typically attract insects or burn plant as
does from cow or horses. On average, goat manure has an NPK value of around
0.7% nitrogen, 0.3% of phosphorus, and 0.9% of potassium. Each batch can be
lightly different based on the feed the animal was consuming and how it was
processed on the farm it came from.
 As a soil amendment, goat manure improve the soil fertility of the plot. The
growth and development of pechay is significantly above than the other organic
fertilizer used. On average, the leaf size of pechay is ranging from 15.15 to 18 cm,
while the stem size is ranging from 3.8 to 5.8 cm. The number of leaves is 10.4 and
the weight is 138.5 grams on average.
Group 4: Humus
No. of No. of
Plant randomly Leaf size (cm) Stem Size(cm) leaves Weight
selected (g)
crop Width Length Width Length
1 10 15 1.5 7 10 100
2 10 11 2 4 6 50 Average
3 12 15 1.5 5 7 60 Weight/
4 10 10 2 6 7 50 Plot
5 9 11.5 1 5 7 50
6 7 9 1 4 7 50
7 8 11 1 5 8 50
8 8 12 1 4 6 50
9 8 12.5 1 5 5 50
10 9 11 1.5 5 6 100
No. of Plants/Plot 42 Total Weight 560g
4,480g
(4.5 kg)
Humus is the mature, natural compost extracted from woodland or other
spontaneous source for use as a soil conditioner. It is also used to describe a top soil
horizon that contains organic matter. It has may nutrients to improve soil fertility,
nitrogen is the most important with a C:N ratio ranging between 8 to 15%. Humus
have enhance the growth of pechay slightly above the results in using carabao
manure. On average, the leaf size is ranging 10.5 to 11 cm and stem size ranging
from 2.56 to 5 cm. The number of leaves produced on average is 6.9, and producing
average weight of 56 grams.
Treatment Leaf Size Stem Size No.of Weight
Leaves
Carabao 9.9 10.9 1.07 4.05 8.3 54.2
Manure
Chicken 14.5 13.16 1.26 6 10.3 106.2
Dung
Goat 14.8 15.5 1.45 6.15 10.4 138.5
Manure
Humus 9.1 11.8 1.32 5 6.9 56
This table shows the summary of the average results or data gathered from
every treatments. The result of the treatments showed that organic fertilizers
produces significant improvement to the growth and development of pechay. Among
the said organic fertilizers, goat manure have been observe to exceedingly
enhanced the growth of pechay. Starting from the size of leaves and stem to its
weight. Although fertility of the soil is just one factor of soil productivity, it still have
big impact to the yield of crops. The tables shown above proves the results on what
organic fertilizer or manure could support more on growing crops with proper
management and care.
V. PHOTO DOCUMENTATION

VI. SUMMARY, CONCLUSION, AND RECCOMENDATION

Due to the problems currently faced globally about food sustainability, farms
and agricultural lands are optimized through technology and practices to achieve a
sustainable agriculture. By using different organic fertilizers such as carabao
manure, chicken dung, goat manure, and humus, this research paper have
evaluated what farm wastes will help in the growth and development of pechay. After
a month duration of cultivating pechay, the following results are gathered. Goat
manure have the highest rate of producing good yield compare to other treatment
used. Chicken dung seconds in terms of yield, while humus have slightly better yield
than carabao manure as a soil amendment.
Carabo manure have the lowest record of enhancing the yield and growth of
pechay. The average weight per plot was only 3.4 kg compost of the crops with
average weight of 54.2 grams. Chicken dung have significantly nourished the soil
this producing good growth to the pechay. After harvesting, the crops have yield of
7025 grams or 7.5 kl from average weight of 106.2 grams per plant. With a yield of
9003 grams or 9 kl per plot, goat manure have exceedingly enhanced the soil fertility
of the plot this producing plants with average weight of 138.5 grams. On the other
hand, humus is second to carabao manure in terms of lowest yield. The average
weight of petchay grown with humus used as a fertilizer was 56 grams, making the
average yield per plot with 4,480 grams or 4.5 kl. Based on the results shown in data
gathering and data analysis, goat manure have produced more desirable effects to
the growth of petchay in terms of leaves and weight of the plant.
This research paper was only conducted by a student and not by a
professional, so it may have several flaws especially in grammar and data
gathering. However, the researcher promises that it was made with his best efforts.
For future researchers, this research paper may stand as a guide or a reference on
their journey in studying Crop Science. It is recommended to find more reference
and evidence about this topic, and broaden the knowledge about this topic. If
possible, it is better to use other crops such as leguminous and trees rather than
commonly leafy vegetables. The researcher depends on their creative and
determined minds.
VII. REFERENCES