THE EFFECT OF "HUGAS-BIGAS” ON THE GROWTH OF PECHAY (BRASSICA PEKINENSIS) PLANTS ABSTRACT A study on the different nutrients present in "hugas-bigas" was conducted. Pechay (Brassica pekinensis) plants were divided into five groups. The first group was watered with !! percent concentration of the first washing the second group with #! percent concentration of the first washing the third group with !! percent concentration of the second washing the fourth group with #! percent concentration of the second washing and the fifth with tap water. The "hugas bigas" was also tested for the presence of nitrogen and phosphorus as well as soil and water p$. %bse %b serv rvat atio ions ns of pl plan antt gr grow owth th sh show owed ed th that at th thee #! #!& & co conc ncen entr trat atio ion n of th thee se seco cond nd wa wash shin ing g contributed to the highest growth of pechay plants. The first washing of "hugas-bigas" had a '. percent itrogen concentration while the second washing had an *.+ percent concentration. INTRODUCTION ,ice is the staple food of the ilipinos. t is a rich source of carbohydrates. Before cooking rice "stone" and "husks" are picked out. /ust and 0ud are then washed away by water. $owever so0e nutrients are also lost 1 dissolved in "wash water" or what ilipinos call "hugas-bigas ." 2atering plants using "hugas-bigas" is a practice observed by ilipinos in rural areas. Plants watered by "hugas-bigas" are observed to have considerable i0prove0ent in growth. This study ai0s to use "hugas-bigas" in watering pechay (Brassica pekinensis) plants and to scientifically deter0ine its effect on growth. The nutritive content of "hugas-bigas" specifically its nitrogen phophorus and potassiu0 content will also be noted and deter0ined. SCOPE AND LIMITATION The scope of the study will include the deter0ination of the itrogen Phosphorus and Potassiu0 ( P 3) content of the "hugas-bigas." The p$ of the "hugas-bigas" and the soil sa0ples will also be deter0ined. The height height of the plants will also be 0easured. 0easured. $owever environ0ental factors such as sunlight rainfall hu0idity te0perature air pressure wind velocity and illu0i4nation cannot be kept constant constant for all set-ups. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE Pech! Pechay (Brassica Pekinensis) is also called 5hinese 5abbage petsai won bok and nappa. t is a versatile garden vegetable that 0ay be used in 0aking salads coleslaw or added to other stirfried vegetables. ts crisp tender leaves has a 0ilder and sweeter taste than true cabbage. t is a good source of vita0in A folic acid and potassiu0 (6an 7yk 8). The average pechay has a cylindrical head of four inches thick and a length of up to * inches long. The predo0inant variety of the petchay has crea0y yellow crinkly thickly veined inner leaves. t outer leaves are light green with a white 0idrib. The pechay is available all year round r ound and best planted in the su00er. The heads of the 0ature 5hinese cab-.9 bage are nor0ally harvested when it is fully developed. t takes :! to ! days fro0 planting for the pechay to reach 0aturity. Rce ,ice (%ry;a sativu0) is a principal food of al0ost half the world9s population. ,ice flourish in 7outheast Asia where there is war0th and 0oisture. t reaches an average height of around 0etre. The fruit a grain is produced on the nodding panicle of spikelets at the ape< of the stalk. A
brown fibrous husk surrounds a bran layer which encloses a white endosper0 (=icrosoft >ncarta). 2hen the husks are re0oved brown rice isleft. A hundred gra0s of brown rice is co0prised of :.# protein .* percent fat # 0illigra0s of calciu0 .? 0illigra0s of iron '#: calories !.' 0illigra0s of vita0in B !.!# 0illigra0s of vita0in B+ and ?.8 0illigra0s of nicotinic acid (Bender :+). The re0aining !! gra0s are carbohydrates containing co0pounds. The consu0ption of brown rice has increased because of the nutritional value of rice bran. As the layers of rice are re0oved through pounding 0illing and washing the proportion of the nutrients in the resulting grain is di0inished while the proportion of the carbohydrates increases. 2hen the hutritious bran is re0oved white rice is left. Polished rice contains appro
ast Asia to produce rice wine. =ost starches are 0ade up of two co0ponents a0ylase and a0ylopectin. =ost of the water soluble nutrients present in rice vita-0ins such as thia0ine riboflavin niacin and 0inerals such as phosphorus calciu0 and iron loose starch granules and proteins are washed away before rice is cooked. Before cooking rice is soaked and washed at least twice with tap water. The nutritious li@uid waste is then disposed of. 7o0eti0es the "wash-water" is 0ade into a0 a li@uid given to infants and children suffering fro0 dehydration. n the provinces it is a practice a0ong ilipino wo0en to water their plants with "hugas-bigas." Fe#$%&e# A fertili;er is any natural or 0anufactured 0aterial that is co0bined with soil to increase plant growth. Plants need three essential nutritional ele0ents nitrogen phosphorus and po4tassiu0 secondary ele0ents calciu0. =agnesiu0 and sulfur s0all a0ounts of 0icronutrients boron chlorine copper iron 0anganese 0olybdenu0 and ;inc. Plants obtain these nutri4ents fro0 the soil. atural fertili;ers such as ani0al 0anure are bulky and hard to transport. =anufactured fertili;ers are e
The "hugas- bigas" was tested for the presence of nitrogen and phosphorus nutrients needed for plant growth. The appa4ratus for testing the presence of potassiu0 (fla0e photo0eter) was not available so the test was not conducted. The presence of nitrogen was tested using the 0odified 3Deldahl wet digestion 0ethod. A +g sa0ple was collected and digested with 8 0Cof + = sulfuric acid and +g of 0i
7ince there are water soluble nutrients in the "hugas-bigas" such as nitrogen and phosphorus the "hugas-bigas" is able to provide the right a0ount of water and the nutrients it needs. The !! percent concentration of the first washing of the "hugas-bigas" was too acidic and it had nutrients in e
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION ,esults fro0 the p$ testing have shown that "hugas-bigas" is slightly acidic which in high concentrations would repress the growth of pechay plants. $owever a weaker concentration such as the #! percent second washing could be used as substitute for tap water. RECOMMENDATION t is reco00ended that researchers who wish to conduct the sa0e e
