Performance Evaluation Of Pigeon Manure Tea Enriched With Agricultural Wastes-Derived Biostimulants As An Organic Nutrient Solution For Kratky Hydroponic Cultivation Of Pechay (Brassica rapa subsp. chinensis)

Abstract

Despite the advancements in technology, farming in the Philippines still heavily relies on chemical fertilizer to effectively supply the increasing demand for food production, which are expensive and could damage the environment if used frequently. Finding an alternative nutrient solution that is at low cost, eco-friendly, and locally available is a key step toward sustainable food production. This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of pigeon manure tea enhanced with agricultural waste as an organic nutrient solution for Kratky hydroponic cultivation of pechay (Brassica rapa subsp. chinensis). The efficacy of different fertilizer solutions was identified based on plant height, leaf count, leaf width, and also the physicochemical properties were determined through laboratory tests including pH, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and iron. For this experiment, four varying treatments were used: T1 (standard hydroponic nutrient solution), T2 (banana peels + pigeon manure), T3 (corn cobs + pigeon manure), and T4 (rice husk + pigeon manure). These fertilizers were fermented, tested in the laboratory, diluted, and applied to pechay grown using the Kratky hydroponic system. The data were assessed using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). Results showed that T1 gave the best performance among all other treatments while T3 performed best among the organic treatments. The laboratory results showed that T4 had the highest nutrient content, indicating that other factors such as nutrient uptake and nutrient availability might have affected plant growth. These results show that the use of pigeon manure tea with agricultural waste as an organic nutrient solution for hydroponic pechay is possible. This finding is useful in relation to SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) and SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) by making use of agricultural waste as fertilizer material.