Chapter 1

INTRODUCTION

A. Rationale

A fertilizer (Maximum yield) is a natural or synthetic substance that is used to

enhance plant growth and fertility. They are also called as the food for plants and they

help farmers feed the growing population. Farmers turn to fertilizers because these

substances contain plant nutrients such as Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium. These

nutrients allow plants allow to grow. When soil nutrients are missing or in short supply,

plants suffer from nutrient deficiency and stop growing. When the nutrient level is too

low, the plant cannot function properly and produce the food necessary.

The researcher chose to use banana peels as fertilizer because they are packed

with nutrients plants need to thrive, because of the nutrients such as Nitrogen,

Phosphorus, and Potassium, Banana peels also help plants resist many diseases. Also,

Bananas are very common fruit in the household and really easy to find in the market.

B. Review of Related Literature

According to Patricia Hamilton Reed (2013) One of the benefits of fertilizing with

banana peels is that they break down quickly, either in the soil or in compost, making

those nutrients available to plants sooner than nutrients from other organic materials.
When burying peels, bury them deep so they don’t attract animals or insects as they

would if left on or just under the surface. You can also chop peels and steep them in

water for a week, strain the peels out, and pour the solution on the soil to get the benefit

of the nutrients without attracting pests. Since banana peels are not a complete fertilizer,

don’t rely on the peels alone to feed your plants, especially if your plants are heavy

Nitrogen feeders. The peels are most effective when composted to blend with nitrogen-

rich materials.

`Banana peels also contain calcium, which helps plant take up more Nitrogen,

which some Potassium loving plants need. They also contain Manganese, which helps

with photosynthesis; sodium, which helps movement of water between cells; and

Magnesium ad Sulfur, both of which are helpful in the formation of Chlorophyll. Banana

peels can be buried whole near Potassium-loving plants, if there will be no issue with

creatures digging them up according to Stone family farmstead (2018).

Banana peel strips make good mulch for the vegetable garden in winter and for

Rose bushes all year round according to Inès Peyret (2017). Just throw them a couple of

inches around your Rose bushes. They’ll release good nutrients, discourage aphids as

well as other unwelcomed little parasites and, as bonus, they’ll attract butterflies, bees

and birds, all crazy about their sugar. On the compost pile, earthworms and

microorganisms feast on them, especially if you chop them up to sped up their

putrefaction. In 2016, Amber, a magazine writer, warns people on using banana peelings
as fertilizer because most of the bananas nowadays are grown using chemical pesticides

and fertilizers.

Jirawala (2016) agrees with the use of fruit peelings as fertilizer.

According to his paper the present study deals with the utilization of fruit peels for the

effective growth of plants and higher yield, by mainly focusing on Nitrogen, Phosphorus,

and Potassium. Different fruit peels such as Pomegranate, Orange, Sweet Lime and

Banana were used. Generally fruit peels are thrown in garbage and it goes to solid waste

dumping site. That causes odor problem due to degradation of peel content in dumping

site. These fruit peels have nutrients like potash, iron, zinc, calcium, citrate content etc.

C. Definition of Terms

Chlorophyll- A green pigment, present in all green plants and in cyanobacteria,

responsible for the absorption of light to provide energy for photosynthesis. Its molecule

contains a Magnesium atom held in a porphyrin ring.

Photosynthesis- The process by which green plants and some other organisms

use sunlight to synthesize foods from carbon dioxide and water.

Fertilizer- A fertilizer is a natural or synthetic, chemical-based substance that is

used to enhance plant growth and fertility. Fertilizers may also enhance water retention

and filter any excess liquid, hence enhancing soil effectiveness.

D. Research Questions

The study focuses on testing the effectiveness of banana peelings as fertilizer. It

seeks to answer the following questions:

1. Is the use of organic fertilizer more effective than a use of no

fertilizer?

2. Are dried banana peels better than spoiled banana peels as fertilizer?

E. Hypotheses

1. Using banana peelings as fertilizer is good compared to not using anything at

all.

2. Dried Banana peels are better than spoiled banana peels.

3. The results will still vary as to how the plants were taken care of.