Granular Bioorganic Chicken Manure and Banana Peel (Musa Paradisiaca): an Alternative to Complete Fertilizer (14-14-14) for Rice Production

Abstract

This study explored the prospect of granular bioorganic chicken manure and banana peel (Musa paradisiaca) as an alternative to complete fertilizer (14-14-14) for rice production. It sought to attain the following objectives: (1) determine the level of effectiveness of granular chicken manure and banana peel mixture as an alternative fertilizer for rice production; (2) create a comparative analysis between the yields produced with the alternative fertilizer and complete fertilizer (14-14-14); and (3) assess the advantages, disadvantages, and effects of the organic fertilizer application on rice cultivation through observations. The data for the study were obtained through an experimentalevaluative method. To analyze the gathered data, descriptive statistics were used, specifically the measure of central tendency (MCT) using the mean and percentage of the sample and the measure of variability (MOV) using range. The chicken manure (CM) was air-dried for eight months, while the banana peel (BP) was stripped and solar-dried for three to five days. These were applied in different treatments: (T1) no application (pure application of complete fertilizer (CF)); (T2) a mixture of 1.225 kilograms (kg) of CM and 0.5 kg of BP applied with 50% of the CF in T1; (T3) a mixture of 2.45 kg of CM and 1 kg of BP; and (T4) a mixture of 3.675 kg of CM and 1.5 kg of BP. Considering the average height, rate of growth, and rate of water absorption, the results revealed that the treatment with an application of both organic fertilizer and complete fertilizer generated the highest level of effectiveness compared to the treatments with a pure application of either complete or organic fertilizer. However, when it comes to product yields, the treatment that had the highest product yield and number of panicle initiations during the reproductive phase was T3, the treatment with a standard application of organic fertilizer. Nonetheless, these implied that the mixture of chicken manure and banana peel could be an economical alternative to complete fertilizer for rice production.