EFFECTIVENESS OF POWDERED CHICKEN BONES

MIXED WITH COW MANURE AS AN ALTERNATIVE

CHEMICAL FERTILIZER IN TERMS OF THE AMOUNT OF
NPK AND PH LEVEL IN LOAM SOIL

A research paper
presented to the faculty of
CALAMBA CITY SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
In partial fulfillment of the requirements for
Practical Research II

Researchers:

Enriquez, Kate
Galvez, Carl Jaspher
Ilao, Anselmo Lucas M.
Lopez, Carlo C.
Mullet, Nhieriza Claire S.
Rodriguez, Deinielle B.

August 2019
 CHAPTER 1

Introduction

This chapter contains background of the study, theoretical framework,

conceptual framework, statement of the problem, hypothesis, and significance of

the study, scope and limitations, and definition of terms.

Background of the Study

According to Laliberte (2019), based on surveys half of the country’s

gardeners in America uses fertilizer on their garden. Fertilizers are either natural

or chemical substance which helps to improve the growth and productiveness of

plants. These fertilizers supplement the soil with macronutrients in large amount

specifically, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium which is also known as NPK.

(Miller 2018)

A fertilizer is considered as organic only when it is derived completely from

organic sources. Aside from the composition, organic fertilizers differ from

chemical fertilizer because the organic ones feed the plant while building a healthy

soil making it an environmentally friendly option. Morgan (2019) stated that a soil

with a plenty of organic material remain loose and light, retain more moisture and

nutrients, and foster growth of soil microorganisms that promote healthier plants

and root development. If many synthetic chemicals are added to a soil, it eventually

loses its organic matter percentage and micro-biotic activity, which leads to an

unhealthy soil. As organic material is used up, the soil structure deteriorates; it

becomes harder and less able to hold water and nutrients.

 Bone meal is a good source of phosphorus and calcium and is considered

as natural fertilizer. Gardeners have been using this as a staple soil amendment

since it is known for reducing transplant shock and encouraging the development

of strong, healthy root systems. Adding phosphorus and calcium back to the soil

is important as both nutrients play significant roles in plant growth. Phosphorus is

known to stimulate root production and flowering but it does much more in the

plant. The most essential function of phosphorus within plants is in energy storage

and transfer; almost every metabolic reaction in plants uses phosphorus in one

form or another. Calcium is needed in lesser amounts for plant growth but still plays

a vital role. It is involved in cell elongation and division resulting in healthy cell

formation and is crucial in transport of nutrients within the plant. A calcium

deficiency within the soil, or within the plant, causes plant growth to cease. (Max,

2019)

According to Delp (2019), animal manure provides essential nutrients which

are required by plants in order to grow healthy. In addition, animal manure adds

organic matter to soil, improving microbial activity, water drainage and overall soil

structure. Common sources of manure come from livestock and farm animals

which are used commonly by gardeners. Nutrient content of manure may differ

depending on the livestock. The most common manure used in provinces are the

cattle or cow manure which was said to have a high amount of nitrogen creating a

balanced boost of soil nutrients. However, this organic fertilizer with high levels of

ammonia may have the tendency to burn plants when they are applied directly,

this is why composting cow manures is a must. Harmful ammonia gas and
pathogens are eliminated which helps increase the amount of organic matter in the

soil making it beneficial and useful. (Tilley, 2018)

This study wants to know the effect of powdered chicken bones mixed with

cow manure as an alternative chemical fertilizer in terms of the amount of

macronutrients and pH level in loam soil. This study is conducted in Calamba City

Senior High School in August 2019.

Theoretical Framework

Function of Macronutrients

According to (Preston Akenga et.al 2014) Macronutrients are essential to

plant growth but utilized in trace quantities. Their major role is as activators in

numerous enzyme systems. Micronutrients are toxic when they are in very high

levels thus they become a threat to human and animals life and cause stunted

growth and poor yield in plants.

pH level

The soil pH reflects whether a soil is acidic, neutral, basic or alkaline. The

acidity, neutrality or alkalinity of a soil is measured in terms of hydrogen ion activity

of the soil water system. The negative logarithm of the H ion activity is called pH

and thus pH of a soil is a measure of only the intensity of activity and not the

amount of the acid present. The pH range normally found in soils varies from 3 to

9 (Jackson, 2013).
Conceptual Framework

This conceptual framework of the study is composed of independent and

dependent variable. The independent variable is the amount of macronutrients and

the pH level of the loam soil. On the other hand, the dependent variable is the

amount and type of soil which is loam and the amount of the fertilizers that will be

used in the soil.

Independent Variable Dependent Variable

Amount of Macronutrients (NPK) Type of soil

pH Level Amount of fertilizer

Fig. 1. Research Paradigm

Statement of the Problem

This study aims to determine the effectiveness of powdered chicken bones

mixed with cow manure as an alternative chemical fertilizer. Specifically, it wants

to answer the questions:

1. Is there a significant difference on amount of macro-nutirents (NPK) in loam

soil between the set-up with chemical fertilizer and the set-up with powdered

chicken bones mixed with cow manure as an alternative chemical fertilizer?

2. Is there a significant difference on the pH level of the loam soil between the

set-up with chemical fertilizer and the set-up with powdered chicken bones

mixed with cow manure as an alternative chemical fertilizer?

Hypothesis

Powdered chicken bones mixed with cow manure has a significant effect on

the amount of NPK nutrients and pH level in loam soil.

Scope and Limitations

This study is all about the effectiveness of powdered chicken bones mixed

with cow manure as an alternative on chemical fertilizers in terms of the amount of

macronutrients and pH level of loam soil. The materials that will be used are cow

manure, loam soil and chicken bones. The cow manure and loam soil will be

collected from Barangay Laguerta and the chicken bones will be collected from

McDonalds fast food chain at Barangay Mayapa. The experimentation will be

conducted at Chemistry Laboratory in Calamba City Senior High School.

Significance of the Study

To the farmers

Organic manures and bone meals produce optimal conditions in the

soil for high yields and good quality crops, they supply all the nutrients

required by the plant (NPK), they reduce the need for purchased inputs and

organically grown plants are more resistant to disease and insects. In the

market, there is an increasing consumer demand for agricultural products,

which are free of toxic chemical residues, in developed country consumer

willing to pay more for organic goods. Organically grown plants are more

resistant to disease and insects.

 To the environment

Most of the organic manures are wastes or byproducts which on

accumulation may lead to pollution. By way of utilizing them, pollution is

minimized.

To the consumers

Organically grown crops are believed to provide healthier and

nutritionally superior food for man and animals than those grown with

commercial fertilizers.

Definition of Terms

pH level. It measures how acidic or basic a substance is; it is the condition of the

soil to be measured to determine which type of plants are appropriate to be planted

in the loam soil with the alternative chemical fertilizer.

Manure. It is an animal dung used in fertilizing land; it is one of the compositions

of the alternative chemical fertilizer that will be mixed with powdered chicken

bones.

Macronutrients. It consists of nutrients like Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium,

also known as NPK; its amount in the soil will be measured to know whether the

soil is healthy or not.

Loam soil. It is a type of soil that is a mixture of clay, slit, and sand and is ideal for

plant-growing; it will form the set-up where the amount of NPK and ph level will be

tested.
 CHAPTER 2

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

This chapter includes the concepts of different teaching strategies or its

effect to the student’s academic performance gathered from different books and

references which the researchers used to provide supplementary information.

Reviews of related literature and studies were conducted for familiarizing

information, achievement of the goals and completion of the study.

RELATED LITERATURE

Fertilizers

According to Liberte (2019), organic fertilizers stimulate beneficial soil

microorganisms that plays an important role in converting organic fertilizers into

soluble nutrients which will be absorbed by the plants. In order to determine if the

plants will grow healthy, soil tests are conducted which reveals the different

deficiencies of the soil. This allows the farmer to choose the right fertilizer for the

crops.

Manure as an Alternative Chemical Fertilizer

Manure use as fertilizer on the farm to provide nutrients for plant growth.

However, livestock manure can be a resource, it can degrade environmental

quality, particularly surface and ground water if not managed appropriately. The

geographic concentration of livestock and poultry can lead to concentrations of

manure that may exceed the needs of the plants and the farmland where it was

produced. Recognizing the potential for human and ecological health effects
associated with the other contaminants in manure – pathogens, antimicrobials, and

hormones (US Environmental Protection Agency,2015).

RELATED STUDIES

Nitrogen in Soil

In the study conducted by Davidson (2009), the atmospheric nitrous oxide

concentration which contributes to global warming, has been increasing and one

of its major causes is the increasing use of synthetic nitrogen fertilizers. It is

suggested in the study to consider the re-concentration of the soil nitrogen by using

organic fertilizers like manure. The aim to reduce the amount of anthropogenic

nitrous oxide sources has been expected and thus the use of synthetic fertilizers

will be replaced with organic ones and will be managed accordingly.

Soil Enzymes as Agricultural Indicators

According to Yang et. al (2008), soil enzyme activities (phosphatase, catalase,

invertase and urease) under different fertilizers (no fertilization, organic manure, and

organic manure + N, organic manure + NP, organic manure + NK and organic manure +

NPK) were lower in the early growth stages of a plant but enhanced in the late stages.

Also the type of mineral fertilizers used influences soil enzyme activity depending on the

soil enzyme involved in which there is, nutrient cycling. Soil enzyme activities were

inhibited N (nitrogen) fertilizer while they were increased by P (phosporus) and K

(potassium) fertilizers.

Effect of Soil pH on the Growth of Invasive Alien Plants (IAPs)

In a study conducted by Gentili (2018), invasive alien plant height indicates

that at pH7 plants were shorter than those grown at pH5 and pH6. In addition,
plants grew faster at pH5 than at pH6 and pH7. Overall, growth trajectory of plants

grown at pH5 and pH6 were similar, while that of plants grown at pH7 differed. The

results confirm that IAP is able to germinate and grow in soils with different pH, but

its success, in terms of growth of vegetative traits and reproductive investment,

increases when the soil reaction is slightly acid, at pH6.

SYNTHESIS

Manures of animals cannot function as fertilizer alone unless it will be

processed. It may also harm the plants if it will be applied directly. Mostly organic

chemicals are non-soluble by water, in this case it will take a longer period of time

for it to be absorbed which is why most farmers especially those who are in the

industry, require faster growth of healthy plants which they will produce

commercially, this is the main reason why such farmers use synthetic fertilizer.

However, the use of synthetic fertilizer has a huge effect on the environment since

it is placed in soil. Most of these fertilizers contain huge amount of nitrogen which

is harmful both for soil and for humans. It also contributes to the amount of nitrogen

in the atmosphere resulting to global warming. In this case, the mixture of both

organic fertilizer may increase the ability of the soil to absorbed the organic

fertilizer since most bone meal helps increase the moisture content of the soil.
 CHAPTER 3

METHODOLOGY

The chapter explains the various designs and methodologies to achieve the

objectives of the study. In this segment, a thorough overview of how the data will

be gathered and be given reliability and credibility will be explained. A substantial

part of this chapter will include the research design, the data sources, data

collection techniques, the sampling techniques and the pilot study. These will be

presented as follows:

Research Design

The design of this study is experimental design for the researchers

aim to determine the effective of powdered chicken bones mixed with cow manure

as an alternative chemical fertilizer in terms of the amount NPK and PH level in

loam soil.

Experimental study is a study that aims to know if there is or isn’t the effect

of the variable studied. Experimental design refers to the conceptual framework

within which the experiment is conducted.

This research study uses a quantitative approach. Quantitative research is

a structured way of collecting and analyzing data obtained from different sources.

This involves the use of computational, statistical and mathematical tools to derive

results.
Sampling Method

Since it will use an experimental method, it is only suitable to use random

controlled trial where there will be two set ups produced. The first set up will be the

controlled set up which will contain trial experiments and the second set up will be

the experimental set up that will also contain trial experiments.

Data Gathering Procedure

To determine the effect of powdered chicken bones mixed with cow manure

as an alternative chemical fertilizer in terms of the amount of NPK and pH level in

loam soil, the researchers will conduct an experiment with 2 set up with 3 trial each.

The first set up will be the alternative fertilizer made out of the powdered chicken

bones mixed with cow manure while the other set up will contain synthetic or

commercial chemical fertilizer. The size of the pot that will be used per set up will

be an 8-inch pot.

Table 1. The amount of soil (in quarts) per pot in Set up A and Set up B
Alternative Chemical
Chemical Fertilizer
Trial Fertilizer
(Set up A)
(Set up B)

1 3 3

2 3 3

3 3 3
According to Geo Growers (2019), it is recommended for an 8-inch pot to contain

3 quarts of loam soil especially when it is in preparation for houseplants or

vegetables.
Table 2. The amount of fertilizer (in grams) per pot in Set up A and Set up B
Alternative Chemical
Chemical Fertilizer
Trial Fertilizer
(Set up A)
(Set up B)

1 2 2

2 2 2

3 2 2
To compare the effect of the fertilizer, both should be of same amounts

which is 2 grams of fertilizer per 8-inch pot.

Data Analysis

After being treated with fertilizer for 3 days, the amount of NPK will be

measured through colorimetry and turbidimetry. This type of test produces certain

color which helps determine a certain amount from minimum to maximum (ACS,

2017). For the pH level, it will be determined through pH paper test, where the soil

will be washed with distilled water then the pH strips will be dipped in the mixture

of soil and distilled water then it will be compared to the color chart to know the pH

level.

Statistical Treatment

In order to determine and compare the relationship between the amount of

macronutrients (NPK) and pH level to the chemical fertilizer, t-test for independent

samples will be used.