Pechay with the scientific name of brassica rapa is a popular table vegetable in the

Philippines also known as snow or Chinese white cabbage. It is fast maturing vegetable. Pechay

has many nutritional values It is consumed as raw or cooked. Ideally, it is taken raw to prevent

loss of its nutritional value when heated. Pechay need nutrients in specific proportion of soil

maintain its nutritional value and for proper growth of pechay which led to the use of fertilizer

for the proper growth of it. The use of fertilizer is the key factor for soil management and

increasing of crop production.

Fertilizer is essential for plant growth. Fertilizer have been used for many centuries where

is fertilizers were only widely developed during the industrial revolution. It has been estimated

that almost half the people on the earth are currently fed as a result of fertilizer.

Fertilizer is a substance added to a soil or land to increase its fertility. There are two kinds

of fertilizer. There is organic and inorganic fertilizer. Organic fertilizer are fertilizer derived from

animal matter animal excreta and vegetable matter naturally occur organic fertilizer that includes

animal waste (manure) . A chemical (synthetic) fertilizer that releases nitrogen quickly into the

soil compared to organic fertilizer such as manure which release nitrogen more slowly as it

decomposed.

Fertilizer is essential element for the successful plant growth and fertilizer are good

source of nutrients that may be lacking in the soil. However too much of anything is not a good

thing. Using the correct amount of fertilizer is important to optimize the production of crops.

Since many chemical/inorganic fertilizers are concentrated and very soluble, it is easier to apply

too much and damage your plants. If you apply too much fresh, non-composted manure, you can

damage your plants as well, because some manures contain harmful amounts of salts in addition

to plant nutrients. Non-composted manures can also be a source of weed seeds.

 Organic fertilizers release nutrients only when the soil is warm and moist, which tends to

correspond with your plants’ times of greatest need. However, they rely on soil organisms to

break down organic matter, so nutrients are released more slowly than they are from inorganic

fertilizers. This slow-release method reduces the risk of nutrient leaching, but it takes time to

supply nutrients to plants.

According to FACT SHEET PHILIPPINE agriculture plays a significant role in the

Philippine economy. Involving about 40 percent of Filipino workers, it contributes an average of

20 percent to the Gross Domestic Product. This output comes mainly from agribusiness, which in

turn accounts for about 70 percent of the total agricultural output (CIDA-LGSP, 2003).

Civilization as it is known today could not have evolved nor can it survive, without an

adequate food supply" -Norman Borlaug (the father of Green revolution)