Name: Morillo, Dayna L. Date Submitted: Dec.

15, 2021 Score: __

Growth and Yield Performance of Pechay (Brassica rapa)

Using Different Soils
Exercise No. 2

Introduction:

Petchay is a cabbage and one of the most known vegetables in the Philippines with a
scientific name of “Brassica rapa”. It is consumed as raw and cooked. It is taken in raw to prevent
possible loss of its nutritional value when heated. It is also good as a hobby for limited space
adopting the very popular vertical gardening with the use of recycled containers as potting media.
And usually, pechay is the common to grow in hydroponics. The optimum temperatures for growth
and development of pechay are from 18–20 °C. Pechay thrives in well-drained, moisture-retentive,
loamy soils well supplied with organic matter. It does not grow well in highly acidic soil. The ideal
soil pH ranges from5.5 to 6.5 and it should not be allowed to drop below 4.5., (East West, 2017).
Pechay can be grown in any type of soil. The plants become healthier to light, sandy-loam and
well-drained soil with pH level of 5-4-6.7.

Pechay needs climate with limited rainy season and short dry season not to exceed for 2
months. The most important health benefits of pechay are vitamins and minerals. It also contains
calcium for stronger bones; phosphorus for bone formation, digestion, excretion and hormonal
balance; potassium for muscle control, blood pressure regulation and hypertension prevention; iron
which carries oxygen in the blood, magnesium for body detoxification, zinc for improving the
immune system against infection and even cancer, vitamin A for promoting growth, reproduction
and improvement of vision; vitamin C for glowing skin and vitamin B-6 folate for better
functioning heart, muscle and body nervous system (Blackstew23,2013). The raw leaves have
nutritional value of energy 20kcal/kg; Carbohydrates is 3.2g., dietary fiber 1.2., Fat 0.2 g., protein
1.2 g., vitamin C 27mg and sodium 9 mg per 100 grams.

Pechay is an annual biennial herb. Its leaves are smooth, 30 cm long, broad at the tip
narrowing gradually at the base extending downward to the upper end of its elongated, thick and
whitish stalks. The leaves are erect, flowers are pale yellow. In selecting an ideal site, consider the
following: good water supply near the area, the fertility of the soil, good drainage system during
wet season, windbreak and shade are available to prevent direct exposure to sunlight, favorable
climate for growth, and sufficient protection against farm animals. It can be grown by seeds. For
land preparation, plow the field thoroughly. Harrow it lengthwise and crosswise to make the soil
loosen, friable and soft. To keep the soil fertile in the field, mix manure, compost, organic matter
and soil before plowing it. Transplant the seedling anytime of the day. It is better to do the
transplanting in the late afternoon to reduce stress of transplanting.
Objectives:
• to determine the growth performance and yield of pechay using different soil samples, and
• to determine which soil is fertile or better.

Methodology:

A. Preparation of Soil Samples

I collected soil samples from four different sites just near in my area. These soil samples
were from pure garden soil, coco farm soil, rice field soil and coastal soil and I used it as my
treatments for this experiment. I had prepared pure garden soil as my control treatment. To get the
soil sample I collected it at the surface horizon (top soil) only from 0 to 20 cm only. First, I cleaned
the ground by removing grasses and stones before getting soil samples and I used shovel to dig
and to get some soil sample. Then after the collection of different soil samples I air dried it for
almost 3 days and removed all the stones, leaves, sticks, and other materials that were not soil.
Then after that I pulverized it using hands because there were some soil samples that was hard and
dried often compacted, and after I sieved the soil samples using a screen mesh. The reason for this
is to had a homogenous size of soil samples for the experiment and I make sure that I had enough
soil samples for each pot.

B. Seedling Production

I got my seedlings from the Department of Agriculture in San Roque N. Samar. The seeds
of pechay are sowed in a sack filled with garden soil. The sacks are placed under structure to
protect the seedlings from rain and direct sunlight and also to prevent the chickens from pecking
the seeds. The seedlings are hardened by gradual exposure to sunlight and withdrawal of water
until they showed signs of temporary wilting.

C. Transplanting

Before the transplanting process, I purchased Twenty-four (24) polyethylene pots at

Pacifica in Catarman N. Samar. The seedlings are transplanted into these pots 7 days after
germination. One seedling was planted per pot. The time of transplant was done in the afternoon
at 5:00 pm to minimize transplanting stress. I used small bolo to transplant. The seedlings are
watered adequately before and immediately after transplanting.
D. Experimental Design and Treatment

There were twenty-four (24) polyethylene pots with a sized of 20 cm that were used in this
experiment. The pot experiment laid out in Complete Randomized Design (CRD) with four
treatments and replicated three times. There were two sample plants/pot per treatment. The
treatments were as follows:

T0= pure garden soil

T1= coconut farm soil
T2= rice field farm soil
T3=coastal site soil

The layout of the experiment

Sample 1 Sample 2 Sample 3
T0 T0 T2 T2 T3 T3
T1 T1 T0 T0 T2 T2
T2 T2 T3 T3 T1 T1
T3 T3 T1 T1 T0 T0
R1 R2 R3

E. Harvesting

The petchay plant harvested at 30 days after the transplanting process and it was done at the early
of the morning to minimize weight loss. This was done by cutting the base or roots of the plant
with sharp knife to avoid damage of the plant.
Photo documentation
Results & Discussions:
.
The following table below are the data gathered using four different treatment. It took 4
weeks for me to monitored the growth performance and yield of pechay using different soil
samples and also to determine which soil is fertile or better for petchay. Different growth
parameters were used to gathered all the data and different results showed up. The growth
parameters are plant height, number of leaves, leaf area index and fresh weight of petchay. I
gathered this data using ruler in cm.

The table 1 shows the average height of petchay with the different treatment every week.
The data obtained by measuring the height of the plant in every treatment from the ground level
up to the tip of the leaves using ruler in cm until week 4. At the beginning of 1st and 2nd week, T3
show the highest weekly average. plant height with 4 and 7.21 cm but it changes at the end of 3rd
week and 4th week T0 or the control group show now the highest increasing growth performance
with the total of average of 7.02 compare to the other treatments. It can be seen that starting from
the 3rd week data taken and gradually increasing until the last data, 9.58 weekly average.
Treatment 2 from rice field site show the lowest growth with a total average of 5.31cm than
Treatment 1 from coconut soil with the total average of 6.78 cm.

Table 1. Plant height (cm) of Pechay after _4__ weeks before termination

Average
Treatment Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Total Average
T0 3.65 6.3 8.57 9.58 28.1 7.02
T1 3.2 6.22 8.63 9.06 27.11 6.78
T2 3.42 5.03 6.07 6.72 21.24 5.31
T3 4 7.21 8 8.56 27.77 6.94
Total 14.27 24.76 31.27 33.92 104.22 26.05
Grand Mean 6.51
 Table 2 shows the number of leaves of petchay per treatment. The data obtained by
counting the number of leaves in every plant every week until week 4. Based on the table below,
it shows the different in the number of leaf for each treatment by weekly. The treatment 0 serves
as control group show the highest number of leaf from week 1 to week 4 with final average of
6.08. The treatment 1 and Treatment 3 had the same final average of 5.2, but the lowest weekly
average gained of 3.5 were from T(3) and T(1) soil from this sites are slowly to produced leaves
especially the coastal soil in which the soil contain salt which is not good for a plant. The treatment
got the lowest final number of leaves was from T(2) with a final average of 4.96.

Table 2. Number of leaves of Pechay after __4_ weeks before termination

Average
Treatment Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Total Average
T0 4 5.83 7.17 7.33 24.33 6.08
T1 3.33 5.17 6 6.5 21 5.25
T2 3.5 4.83 5.5 6 19.83 4.96
T3 3.5 5.33 5.83 6.33 20.99 5.25
Total 14.33 21.16 24.5 26.16 86.15 21.54
Grand Mean 5.39

Table 3 shows the leaf area index of petchay among 4 different soil treatments This was
achieved by measuring the length and width at the widest portion of the leaf of each plant by
weekly. Among these 4 treatments, T(1) which was from coconut soil shows the highest weekly
average of leaf area index (width, length) with 6.66 in week 4 while the lowest leaf area weekly
average was from T(0) which from the pure garden soil with a 1.14 week 1 average. T0 leaves
sometimes fell down and rotted as well with T2. When it comes to the final average leaf area index,
T(1) showed the highest leaf index among 4 treatments with 3.68 , second was from the T(0) which
is from pure garden soil with a final average of 3.06 and third from the T(3) with a final average
of 2.66. The treatment who got the lowest final average of 1.98 is from T(2) or coconut soil this
treatment had the most slowest growth among others treatment.
Table 3. Leaf area index (cm2) of Pechay after _4__ weeks before termination.
Average
Treatment Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Total Average
T0 1.14 2.25 3.98 4.88 12.25 3.06
T1 1.09 2.63 4.36 6.66 14.74 3.68
T2 0.82 1.76 2.52 2.81 7.91 1.98
T3 1.37 2.40 3.23 3.64 10.64 2.66
Total 4.42 9.04 14.09 17.99 45.54 11.38
Grand Mean 2.85

The table 4 below shows the fresh weight of petchay in each treatment with 3 replications.
Since my petchay are still not vegetative to be harvested even though its already reached the
maximum age maybe because of different factors that affect the plant growth e.g., (weather, soil
fertility, etc.) what I did is to have a visual estimation get the fresh weight. Among of the four
treatments of the fresh weight of petchay are shown the different results in each replication. From
the T(1) which is from the coconut soil its replication 3 obtained the highest weekly average of 6
grams while the T(3) replication 1 which is from coastal soil got the lowest yield performance of
2 grams .Hence, when it comes to the final average ,result shows that among 4 treatments the
highest weight or yield performance of 4.83 grams are from T(0) which is the pure garden soil or
control group, second is the T(1) with final average of 4.67grams down to the T(3) with 3.33 grams
fresh weight of petchay. The lowest yield of petchay is in the T(2) which is from Rice field soil
with a final average of 2.83 grams.

Table 4. Fresh weight (g) of Pechay at harvest/termination

Average
Treatment Replication 1 Replication 2 Replication 3 Total Average
T0 4.5 5 5 14.5 4.83
T1 4 4 6 14 4.67
T2 2.5 2.5 3.5 8.5 2.83
T3 2 5 3 10 3.33
Total 13 16.5 17.5 47 15.66
Grand mean 3.92
Photo Documentation
Conclusion:

Therefore, I conclude that among the 4 different soil treatment, the pure garden soil gives
the highest growth performance and yield of petchay. This kind of soil is fertile and better for
growing petchay or any other kinds of vegetables. In addition, soil type is not the only thing we
should prioritize in growing plants since different factors can affect the growth performance of our
plants and yield that can kill, harm or slow the growth if not properly giving attention these
includes the weather, water, sunlight, season for planting and so on.

References:

https://www.coursehero.com/file/35931453/CHAPTER-IIdocx/