Liezl Danica M.

Gotera October 18, 2014

Grade 7- Gonzaga
SCIENCE INVESTIGATORY PROJECT
Urine as Fertilizer
Related Literature
Farmers looking for a natural way to fertilize their crops may need to look no
further than human urine, which is naturally rich in nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus
the same ingredients in conventional fertilizers. Although the use of urine as fertilizer
is rare (though not unheard of) today, it has actually been used as fertilizer since
ancient times, and new research suggests it may be wise to bring this ancient tradition
back. " urine with or without ash can increase the yield of red beet and furthermore
the microbial quality and chemical quality were similar to the situation in mineral-
fertilized products."
As for the 'yuck factor,' human urine isn't nearly as 'gross' as it seems, since it's
virtually sterile when it leaves your body. It also doesn't carry bacteria like feces (and
manure has been used as fertilizer for centuries).
Further, research suggests that any residual hormones or pharmaceuticals are
likely to be negligible and basically non-existent in urine-fertilized crops. Urine has also
been used to fertilize cabbage, tomatoes, sweet peppers and cucumbers, with similar
favorable results, and it's free unlike synthetic fertilizers that some farmers around the
world can scarcely afford.

Related Study
In the study conducted by Dr. Mercola (2013) on Is Human Urine Really an
Effective Agricultural Fertilizer? she found out that urine is a perfectly viable source of
fertilizer, and one that is readily available and sustainable.
n one experiment, they compared beets grown in four different ways: one with
conventional mineral fertilizer, another with urine, a third with urine, and a final control
group grown with no fertilizer. The beets fertilized with urine were 10 percent larger, and
those fertilized with urine/ash were 27 percent larger than those grown in mineral
fertilizer. As for nutrient content, all the beets were similar, and in a blind taste test the
beets were rated as equally flavorful.


Rice Wash Hugas Bigas as Fertilizer

Review of Related Literature
Pechay
Pechay (Brassica Pekinensis) is also called Chinese Cabbage, petsai, won bok and
nappa. It is a versatile garden vegetable that may be used in making salads, coleslaw,
or added to other stir-fried vegetables. Its crisp, tender leaves has a milder and sweeter
taste than true cabbage. It is a good source of vitamin A, folic acid and potassium (Van
Syk, 1996).
The average pechay has a cylindrical head of four inches thick and a length of up
to 18 inches long. The predominant variety of the pechay has creamy yellow crinkly
thickly veined inner leaves. It outer leaves are light green with a white midrib. The
pechay is available all year round and best planted in the summer. The heads of the
mature Chinese cab-.' bage are normally harvested when it is fully developed. It takes
70 to 90 days from planting for the pechay to reach maturity.

Rice
Rice (Oryza sativum) is a principal food of almost half the world's population.
Rice flourish in Southeast Asia where there is warmth and moisture. It reaches an
average height of around 1 meter. The fruit, a grain, is produced on the nodding panicle
of spikelets at the apex of the stalk. A brown, fibrous husk surrounds a bran layer which
encloses a white endosperm (Microsoft Encarta).
When the husks are removed, brown rice is left. A hundred grams of brown rice
is comprised of 7.5 protein, 1.8 percent fat, 15 milligrams of calcium, 1.4 milligrams of
iron, 357 calories, 0.3 milligrams of vitamin B, 0.05 milligrams of vitamin B2, and 4.6
milligrams of nicotinic acid (Bender, 1972). The remaining 100 grams
are carbohydrates containing compounds.
The consumption of brown rice has increased because of the nutritional value of
rice bran. As the layers of rice are removed through pounding, milling, and washing, the
proportion of the nutrients in the resulting grain is diminished while the proportion of the
carbohydrates increases. When the hutritious bran is removed, white rice is left.
Polished rice contains approximately 25 percent carbohydrates, trace amounts of
iodine, iron (1 mg), magnesium, vitamin B (0.08 mg), vitamin B2 (0.03 mg) and
phosphorous, and negligible amounts of fat (0.7 percent) and protein (6.7 percent) per
100 g of rice.
Carbohydrates content in rice consists of a polymer of glucose, starch. Starch is
sometimes extracted from rice in East Asia to produce rice wine. Most starches are
made up of two components, amylase and amylopectin.
Most of the water soluble nutrients present in rice, vitamins such as thiamine,
riboflavin, niacin and minerals, such as phosphorus, calcium, and iron, loose starch
granules and proteins are washed away before rice is cooked.
Before cooking, rice is soaked and washed at least twice with tap water. The
nutritious liquid waste is then disposed of. Sometimes, the "wash-water" is made into
am, a liquid given to infants and children suffering from dehydration. In the provinces it
is a practice among Filipino women to water their plants with "hugas-bigas."

Fertilizer
A fertilizer is any natural or manufactured material that is combined with soil to
increase plant growth. Plants need three essential nutritional elements: nitrogen,
phosphorus, and potassium; secondary elements, calcium. Magnesium and sulfur;
small amounts of micronutrients, boron, chlorine, copper, iron, manganese,
molybdenum and zinc. Plants obtain these nutrients from the soil.
Natural fertilizers such as animal manure are bulky and hard to transport.
Manufactured fertilizers are expensive. The value of a fertilizer depends on its nitrogen,
phosphorus and potassium content, and the presence or absence of other elements. A
simple fertilizer contains only one plant nutrient. An example is super phosphate, a
simple phosphate fertilizer. A multiple fertilizer contains two or more of the primary plant
nutrients. Example include ammonium phosphate and potassium nitrate (Camus, 1989.)

Related Study

In the study conducted by Buan, Ryan Paulo 0. Po,Ronald Aaron U.
Dimaculangan Mylai M. lbero, Jasmin B. and Jara, Monica Felise A.(2011) on THE
EFFECT OF "HUGAS-BIGAS ON THE GROWTH OF PECHAY (BRASSICA
PEKINENSIS) PLANTS ,they found out that the 50% concentration of rice wash
contributed to the highest growth of pechay plants.
A study on the different nutrients present in "hugas-bigas" was conducted.
Pechay (Brassica pekinensis) plants were divided into five groups. The first group was
watered with 100 percent concentration of the first washing, the second group with 50
percent concentration of the first washing, the third group with 100 percent
concentration of the second washing, the fourth group with 50 percent concentration of
the second washing, and the fifth with tap water. The "hugas-bigas" was also tested for
the presence of nitrogen and phosphorus, as well as soil and water pH. Observations of
plant growth showed that the 50% concentration of the second washing contributed to
the highest growth of pechay plants. The first washing of "hugas-bigas" had a 31.9
percent Nitrogen concentration while the second washing had an 18.2 percent
concentration.

References
Mercola,(2013). Is Human Urine Really an Effective Agricultural Fertilizer?
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/09/28/human-urine-
fertilizer.aspx. Retrieved on September 28,2013
Buan, Ryan Paulo 0. Po,Ronald Aaron U. Dimaculangan,Mylai M. lbero, Jasmin
B.,Jara, Monica Felise A,(2011). THE EFFECT OF "HUGAS-BIGAS ON THE
GROWTH OF PECHAY (BRASSICA PEKINENSIS) PLANTS.
http://www.edu-sciece.com/2012/11/the-effect-of-hugas-bigas-on-growth-of.html.
Retrieved on 2012.