Sardina Sp., Sugarcane Bagasse, Wood Chips, and Agricultural By-Products as Bio-Charcoal: An Alternative Soil Enhancer for Plant Growth

Authors

  • Erron Zabdiel L. Dimayuga
  • John Angelo D. Dimayuga

Keywords:

Soil enhancer, wood chips, Sargassum crassifolium, Padina australis, Sugarcane bagasse, bio-charcoal

Abstract

INTRODUCTION

The human population is on its increasing stage. It happens not only in the Philippines but all over the world. Due to this population growth, farmlands are converted into cities, industrial parks and commercial buildings to sustain the needs for shelter and businesses. As a result, there will be insufficient land for farming and food shortage. Urban farming should be introduced and land should be maximized. In this study, the researchers proposed an alternative soil enhancer for the proper growth crops.

METHODS

The experimental method of research was used in the conduct of the study. The experimental design consisted of control set up and experimental set-ups with four container pots for three trials. Each trial has three treatments of 20g, 40g and 60g soil enhancer from SarDina sp, Sugarcane bagasse, wood chips, agricultural byproducts and other wastes such fruit peelings etc. as Bio-charcoal. The container pots were planted with four Solanum lycopersicum seeds with the same amount and type of growing medium watered with 50 mL water twice a day and were exposed to sunlight. The observation was done for ten days. The data collected were subjected to mean, chemical analysis and ANOVA.

RESULTS

Based on the results, it was found that there was an improved soilpH, nitrogen content, potassium content and phosphorus content on the growing medium after application of soil enhancer from SarDina sp, Sugarcane bagasse, wood chips, agricultural byproducts, and other wastes such fruit peelings etc. as bio-charcoal thusincreasing the leaves length and stem height of S. lycopersicum. Moreover, 40g and 60g soil enhancer from bio-charcoal are needed in the proper growth of S. lycopersicum in terms of stem height and leaves length respectively. Furthermore, the soil enhancer from bio-charcoal also show significant resultsin the growth of S. lycopersicum.

DISCUSSIONS

Soil enhancer from bio-charcoal improves the soil quality and provide necessary nutrients (e.g. nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium) for the proper growth of S. lycopersicum. Soil enhancer from bio-charcoal increases the growth of S. lycopersicum in terms of height and leaves length. Soil enhancer from bio-charcoal shows significant results on the growth of S. lycopersicum in terms of stem length and leaves length based on the statistical analysis conducted. It is recommended that future researchers may determine if the yield of the tomato plant in terms of its weight will show a significant effect.

Published

2019-01-18