John Dale B. Dianala, Emil Emmanuel C. Estilo, Sherry Rose S. Mombay (February 2007)
Philippine Science High School Western Visayas Campus – Department of Science and Technology (DOST-PSHS WVC), Brgy. Bito-on, Jaro, Iloilo City 5000, Philippines
ABSTRACT
Plant fertilizers play a fundamental role in the agriculture industry of the Philippines. Seaweeds have been used as fertilizers, and further research has developed seaweed extracts, which, aside from being organic in nature, are known to have beneficial effects on plant growth.
Seaweed extracts from Sargassum spp. at various pH levels were used to treat tomato (Lycopersicum esculentum) plants, and the effects of the extracts on number of leaves, shoots, branches, and fruits, height, width of main stem, and weight of fruit yield, were measured.
Tomato seeds of variety Improved Pope were soaked in six different treatments namely seaweed extracts at the pH levels of 7, 8 and 9, and water at the pH levels of 7,8 and 9 as control. The seeds were germinated on a seed box and transferred into plastic cups after a few weeks. A 24-plot planting site was prepared. Ten plants were transplanted to each plot. Harvesting and recording data were done 10 weeks after transplantation.
Results of the study showed that the a control setup, water at certain pH, gives highest values for every parameter – pH 8 for number of leaves, shoots, branches, and fruits, and width of main stem, pH 9 for height, and pH 7 for weight for fruit yield.
One-Way ANOVA showed that the control setups have significant difference in width of main stem (p=0.038, a=0.05), mean weight of fruit yield (p=0.046, a=0.05), and number of branches (p=0.031, a=0.05). This means that the seaweed extracts had little or no effects at all on the growth to tomatoes.