Chapter I

INTRODUCTION

Situational Analysis

The Philippine Agriculture is in need of great

equipment and components in producing a good quantity of

crops especially rice and vegetable crops. Almost one-fourth

of the population was composed of farmers which prioritize

the quality and quantity of the crop and their various

plants.

In the production of crops, farmers often use

fertilizers to speed up the growth of their crops with a

good maintenance of the quality. Most fertilizers used were

often inorganic fertilizers with different objectives for

the plants. A fertilizer often composed of Nitrogen (N),

phosphorus (P), potassium (K), sulphur (S), calcium (Ca),

magnesium (Mg), boron (B), chlorine(Cl), copper (Cu), iron

(Fe), manganese (Mn), molybdenum (Mo) and zinc (Zn) are

normally derived from the soil in the form of inorganic

salts. It is to maintain the good health of the plant by

supplying the right amount of nutrients.

 Most plants needed the three macronutrients namely:

phosphorus, nitrogen and potassium. According to [ CITATION

Moo13 \l 1033 ] of Michigan State University, a medium-sized

pomelo contains 1315 milligrams of potassium, 37% of daily

value. One component needed to make a good fertilizer. Also,

it possesses 32.3 milligrams of Phosphorus, 11.4 milligrams

of Magnesium and 0.2 milligram of Zinc, which are also

needed to supply the nutrients of plant.

The presence of these nutrients makes the pomelo peel

possible as a good alternative fertilizer for the tomato

plants. Tomato plant also known as Solanum lycopersicum, is

a flowering plant from the nightshade family (Solanaceae),

labelled as a vegetable for nutritional purposes. This plant

is known for its ability to be a major source of dietary

antioxidant lycopene, reducing the risk of heart disease and

cancer.

However, pomelo peel is considered as an agricultural

waste. Two million pomelos are produced annually together

with the generation of large amount of pomelo peels as its

byproduct, largely dumped in the landfills of China. The

disposal of pomelo peels after consumption is a great threat

to pollution, a serious environmental problem to the

community. As a natural, versatile bio‐absorbent, pomelo

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peel has shown excellent adsorption capacity for several

pollutants, attributed to its micro‐pores; however, there is

no relevant report on its adsorption capacity for natural

products or food ingredients.

Citrus production and consumption worldwide has

increased extremely over the past few decades. According to

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

(FAO-STAT), it shows that statistical data around 2010

reveals that the world production of citrus fruits was over

100 million tons. A large amount of citrus waste is

generated by the consumption of these fruits, which may be

as high as 50% of the fruit weight.

Locally, people used to disregard the pomelo peels upon

getting the actual fruit, tends to be thrown away in the

trash bins, but frankly, most of the population throw citrus

peels anywhere. This contributes to a large amount of

generated waste from pomelo peels.

Considering its benefits to health and skincare,

consumption of dietary fibre plays a significant role in the

prevention, reduction and treatment of chronic diseases such

as bowel, gastrointestinal disorders, obesity, diabetes,

cardiovascular disease, cancer and also promotes

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physiological functions such as lowering blood triglycerides

and glucose control (Figuerola et al., 2005).

On another case, [ CITATION Obo12 \l 1033 ] stated that the TPC

and TFC diversity are related to agriculture factors such as

nutrient and nitrogen supply, irrigation, mulching, light

exposure, temperature and fruit ripening level. The

potential of the pomelo peels to become an alternative

fertilizer is based on the content and properties of the

pomelo peels to become an alternative source of the stated

agriculture factors in growing plants.

Considering the contents, pomelo peels contains

phosphorus and potassium. These compounds prove that the

potential of pomelo peels to be harmful is disapproved by

the compounds of the fruit itself, and is possible to

conduct further experiments. With this, the researchers were

interested and motivated to conduct the research in testing

the potential of C. maxima to become an alternative

fertilizer to tomato plants.

Conceptual Framework

This study focused on the potential of pomelo peels

(C. maxima) to become an alternative fertilizer to tomato

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plants. Proper and careful laboratory method and techniques

were done.

There were two treatments name: T1 - pomelo peels and T2

- commercial fertilizer (Harvester).

The paradigm, which explains the conceptual framework

of this study, was presented in Figure 1.

INDEPENDENT DEPENDENT

Treatment: Potential of pomelo

peels as an fertilizer
a. T1- Pomelo in terms of:
Peels a. length of stem
b. T2- Commercial

Fertilizer

(Harvester)

c. Control

Variable

Figure 1.Conceptual paradigm showing the Independent and

Dependent variables of the study.

Objectives of the Study

The main purpose of the study is to formulate the

potential of pomelo (citrus maxima) peels in fertilizing the

soil and increasing the growth process of the plants.

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In the study reported, it seeks to answer the following:

1. What is the effect of pomelo peels to the length of

stem of tomato plant?

2. Determine the significant difference of pomelo (citrus

maxima) peels as fertilizer and commercial fertilizer

to the tomato plants in terms of length of stem.

Null Hypothesis

There is no significant difference between the pomelo

(Citrus maxima) peels as an alternative fertilizer and the

commercial fertilizer.

Significance of the Study

It can benefit the following:

A. Agriculture and Farmers. It can greatly benefit the

agricultural field workers, the farmers, to maintain

the good crop of the year and also decreases the

expenses of the farmers. The qualities of the pomelo

peels and extract are non-harmful to people and

organic. It decreases the amount of pomelo peels

disposed and lessens the rate of pollution in the

country.

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 B. Future researchers. The results of this study may serve

as a basis of their researches and further improvements

of the processes done in the research.

C. Researchers. The researchers acquired knowledge about

the research and the plant used in testing the

potential of the pomelo (citrus maxima) peels as an

alternative fertilizer to tomato plants. It can

contribute to learners who are willing to create

further inventions of organic and effective fertilizer

as a solution to focal problems in agriculture.

Scope and Limitation

This study was limited to pomelo (Citrus maxima) peels

as a fertilizer. Thus, the main component of the research is

the pomelo peels.

Time and Location

This study will be conducted at Barangay San Benito

Norte, Aringay, La Union from November 2018 to February

2019.

Definition of Terms

For better understanding of the study, the following

terms were operationally used and defined.

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Antioxidant is a substance that inhibits oxidation,

especially one used to counteract the deterioration of

stored food products.

Citrus maxima is the round, large fruit known as pomelo

(shaddock, pummel, Chinese grapefruit etc.) Which

mostly found in countries with warm climates and US-

based rich in flavanoid.

Commercial fertilizer is a substance that contains one

or more recognized plant nutrients and enhanced the

fertility of the soil and the growth of plants.

Ethanol is a renewable fuel, a biomass taken from corn

and other plant materials and is often found in

alcoholic beverages.

Fertilizer is any material, natural or synthetic that

is applied to soils or to plant tissues to supply one

or more plant nutrients essential to the growth of

plants.

Flavanoid is a group of plant metabolites that reduces

risk of cancer, heart disease, asthma, and stroke.

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Mulching is a simple process of using garden leftovers

such as leaves, grass clippings and shredded trees to

cover any bare soil in the garden.