Pomelo (Citrus maxima) Leaf as Fertilizer

Renz Patrick B. Selga

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements In Research II The Special Science Class of Tayug National High School Tayug, Pangasinan July, 2013

Mrs. Revelyn Camacho Research Adviser

CHAPTER I THE PROBLEM

Background of the Study The pomelo tastes like a sweet, mild grapefruit, though the typical pomelo is much larger in size than the grapefruit. It has very little, or none, of the common grapefruit's bitterness, but the enveloping membranous material around the segments is bitter, considered inedible, and thus usually is discarded. Pomelos are usually grafted onto other citrus rootstocks, but can be grown from seed, provided the seeds are not allowed to dry out before planting. The seedlings take about eight years to start blooming and yielding fruit. The Pomelo leaf composed of different elements and compounds all of interconnected with the mineral content of its processing. The most important parts of the leaf in terms of of its chemical reaction are Minerals. The most important Minerals in making Fertilizer are nitrogen (N) it promotes the growth of leaves and vegetation, phosphorus (P) for root and shoot growth, and potassium (K) it promotes flowering and fruiting. Organic fertilizer are certain types of fertilizer although some fertilizer have chemical content that can harm us and other organism. This fertilizer is used for growing plants healthier without chemical. Basically a fertilizer anything designed to grow plants that is made out of organic material.

Statement of the problem This study will be conducted to produce fertilizer from the Pomelo leaf (Citrus maxima).
Specifically it will seek to answer the following questions: 1. How will the use of pomelo leaves affect the following: a. Height of the plants? b. Time of flowering per plant? c. Number of pods per plant? d. Final weight of each of the plant? e. Final total weight of the pods per plants? 2. How will the effect of pomelo leaves on the growth of plants differ in terms of: a. Average height per plant; b. Time of flowering per plant; c. Number of pods per plant; d. Number of leaves per plant;and e. Total weight of plants per plot.

Research Hypothesis This hypothesis will be tested in its null form at 0.05 level of significance.
There is no significant difference between commercially available organic fertilizer to inorganic fertilizer produced from Citrus maxima in terms of: a. b. c. d. e.

Significance of the study This research has been studied to test how effective this fertilizer. This study has proven that Citrus maxima will be a good source of fertilizer production. This alternative fertilizer is absolutely a great help for a plant growers because they will not be obligated to buy expensive fertilizer. The use of Citrus maxima leaf for growing of plants healthier is considered interesting alternative to inorganic fertilizer due to low negative effects in the environment, biodegradability and low cost. The results of the study are great help to the following:
Horticulturist: They can use more economical and practical ways of growing of plants healthier that can help increase their plant yield.
Community: There is a possibility of reducing if not totally grow plants without any risk the dependence of horticulturist to chemical fertilizer, thus reducing the risk of toxin exposure.

Scope and Delimitation of the study The fertilizer is design to add essential nutrients to the growth of plants. The researcher have limited their study in using Citrus maxima in each plants. The study was limited to the purpose of making fertilizer through the use of Citrus maxima as main component of fertilizer. The study focuses in producing good quality and economical advantage of fertilizer. This study limits its coverage in Citrus maxima only. This study will determine the advantage of fertilizer from pomelo leaf. Its main purpose is to produce fertilizer from Citrus maxima.
Definition of terms
Fertilizer- is any organic or inorganic of natural that is added to the soil to supply nutrients to the plants.
Citrus maxima- is a crisp citrus fruit native to South and Southeast asia.
Community- a body of person having common right
Horticulturist-one who is skilled in horticulture

CHAPTER II REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
Related Literature
Citrus maxima
The pomelo (Citrus maxima), also called Chinese grapefruit, jabong, lusho and shaddock, is the largest member of the citrus family. This grapefruit ancestor has a soft but very thick rind. It has light yellow to coral-pink flesh that can be juicy to slightly dry with a flavor that range from spicy-sweet to tangy and tart. The flesh can be eaten straight, added in salads or in food preparations where grapefruit goes well.
Fertlizer
Fertilizer is any organic or inorganic material of natural or synthetic origin (other than liming materials) that is added to a soil to supply one or more plant nutrients essential to the growth of plants. Conservative estimates report 30 to 50% of crop yields are attributed to natural or synthetic commercial fertilizer. Mined inorganic fertilizers have been used for many centuries, whereas chemically synthesized inorganic fertilizers were only widely developed during the industrial revolution. Increased understanding and use of fertilizers were important parts of the pre-industrial British Agricultural Revolution and the industrial Green Revolution of the 20th century.

CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY This chapter presents Research Design, Materials and Procedures and Statistical Treatment Analysis of Data.
Research Design

The research design is laid out as: | Treatment 1 | Treatment 2 | R1 | | | R2 | | | R3 | | |
Material and Procedure
Collection of Material Seven and one half (7.5) kilograms of Citrus maxima (sliced or in a powdered form) and eight (8) kilograms of soil, six (6) empty bottles (that is 6 liter per bottle). The bottle should have cover to ensure that the moisture in the bottle wouldn’t escape.
Procedure
In powdering, first, collect all the plant leaves and sliced it continuously until to become powder and measure it with the respect volume. There were six empty bottles. Labels were placed accordingly based on the experiment set up. Put the powdered leaves inside the bottles with their respect labels in the bottles. After putting the powdered leaves then put the cover. Everyday it must be shaked to avoiding the stacking of soil inside. It takes month to decompose the powdered leaves. Do not open the cover until the right time come.
Data Gathering The powdered leaves were observed before and after putting the leaves. The decayed leaves were observed to be mix with soil, growing of some small grass and become soil. To ensure that the original formed of leaves were decayed after 1 month.
Statistical Treatment of Data This study will be using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) to determine the significant difference among the two treatments in terms of: