1.

1 Introduction

Growing vegetables is a widely practiced activity in the Philippines with an essential role
in the increase of food production, economy, as well as, in providing nutrition of the Filipino
people. Aside from playing a major role in meeting the vitamin, mineral and protein requirements,
they also serve as a reliable source of income for farmers and growers.

Pechay (Brassica rapa) belongs to the Brassiceae family. It is one of the most known
vegetables in the Philippines and one of the oldest green vegetables in Asia which is also
commonly cultivated as it has an exceptionally short life cycle, ranging from 30-45 days. It is rich
in vitamin C and contains significant amounts of nitrogen compounds, as well as fiber—both of
which appear to lower the risk of various forms of cancer (Murray, 2005). It is also used as main
ingredient for soup and stir-fried dishes where pechay is used mainly for its immature, but fully
expanded tender leaves. The raw leaves has a nutritional value per 100 grams.

In view of the profits procured from the plant, the incessant supply of pechay is increasingly
recognized to meet the demand of food production. However, a great deal of pechay production
heavily relies on the inputs of waste materials as an essential source of nutrient (American Society
for Horticultural Science, 2008). In order to increase productivity of pechay, farmers and gardeners
make use of solid wastes and by products to make fertilizer as plant’s reinforcement to increase its
yield. In connection to this, the significant amount of nitrogen content in pechay allows farmers to
prefer a material that is high in nitrogen content in order to attend the required essentials of pechay.
Since nitrogen is a vital element required for successful plant growth of pechay (Liu, et al., 2014),
the use of commercial nitrogen fertilizer is developed which is recognized in the conventional
farming. Nonetheless, the high fertilizer costs, and lack of capital for purchasing fertilizer inputs
continually hinder the target output (Tulin et al., 2010). For one thing, the prices of fertilizers are
getting higher making them unaffordable to vegetable growers. To address these issues, alternative
fertilizers are developed which are cheap and locally available. One available resources can be
traced at one’s own body, hair.

Human hair in its natural form is part of human body. Yet, once the hair is cut off, people’s
initial option is to discard it in the trash or backyard junk as it is considered a waste material and
no longer functional. Likewise, barbershops generate a significant amount of human hair waste
that is usually put in the garbage and ultimately ends up in landfills. The undesirable effect it has
on the environment, if burned, releases toxic gases and can be a source of pollution, health
problems, and conflicts (Gupta, 2014). These show there had been no systemic thinking about
environmentally safe management of the human hair waste. However, human hair has also its
advantages, expanding its utilization, which can be used in several ways, specifically to plants.

Studies have been made on human hair indicating its potential as an additional source of
plant fertilizer as per Gupta’s (2014) Human Hair ‘‘Waste’’ and Its Utilization: Gaps and
Possibilities. It was found out that hair has all the organic nutrients that plants need to grow as it
is one of the highest nitrogen-containing organic material in nature because it is predominantly
made up of (nitrogen-containing) proteins (Gupta, 2014). In addition, human hair also contains
sulfur, carbon, and 20 other elements essential for plants. However, the major drawback to
consider is the slow degradation rate of hair. It is because the long duration of hair to decompose
affects the time of release of nutrients into the soil, which therefore results to a further modification
of the fertilizer from a ready-made human hair waste to a liquid-based fertilizer, a design obtained
from the study Quick Release Nitrogenous Fertilizer from Human Hair (Rahman et al., 2016).
There is also a growing concern to the presence and contamination of chemicals from toxic hair
products, dyes, treatments and other hair practices used by people (Gupta, 2014).

The purpose of this study was to investigate and demonstrate the use of the human hair
waste in the form of liquid fertilizer which maintains soil fertility, and to determine which among
the three concentrations of liquefied human hair waste have significant effects to plant growth of
pechay. To that end, this study emphasized a significant ingenuity to the modern agricultural
system that feeds the world while exploring a new fertilizer that could reduce the hair’s
environmental impact while increasing food supply.
1.2 Theoretical Framework

Application of chemical
Plant elements of Nitrogen Plant Growth
Nutrients (N), Phosphorus (P),
and Potassium (K)

Figure 1

Figure 1 presented the German chemist Baron Justus von Liebig’s The Mineral Nutrient
Theory, which he formulated in the year 1847. In his theory, he reported that plants obtain Carbon
(C) and Hydrogen (H) from the atmosphere and water (H₂O). Furthermore, by synthesizing prior
ideas about plant nutrition and with the addition of his own conviction that inorganic materials
could provide nutrients as effectively as organic sources, he was able to identify the essentials to
plant growth—the chemical elements of Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P), and Potassium (K), which
are now the three-component fertilizers commonly known as the N-P-K fertilizers.

Conceptual Framework

Plant Growth

Liquefied Human Potassium Hydroxide Commercial Fertilizer

Hair Waste Fertilizer (KOH)

Measurements set:
 Number of leaves
 Fresh plant weight
 Leaf area
 Plant height

Figure 2
 Figure 2 presented the relationship of the variables comprised under the plant growth. The
optimum tendency and attainment of a plant to grow robustly was carried out with the application
of liquefied human hair waste fertilizer, potassium hydroxide (KOH), and commercial fertilizer,
respectively. The effects of these treatments were shown in the measurements set: number of
leaves, fresh plant weight, leaf area, and plant height, which all the way prompts to the productivity
of the plant. With the use of liquefied human hair waste fertilizer, it would improve farming
industries to become more productive and be able to protect the environment as well.

1.3 Statement of the Problem

The researchers investigated the effectiveness of human hair waste as liquid fertilizer on
pechay.

Specifically, the study aimed to:

1. determine the effectiveness of human hair waste as liquid fertilizer on pechay in

terms of:

1.1 number of leaves

1.2 fresh plant weight
1.3 leaf area
1.4 plant height

2. compare the varying amounts of human hair waste as liquid fertilizer to KOH and
commercially available fertilizer in terms of the sample’s attributes mentioned
above.
1.4 Significance of the Study

The researchers believed that this study is deemed significant to the following sectors:

Agricultural significance. The study introduced an artificial fertilizer to the farmers who
are using different commercial fertilizers for their crops.

Economical significance. The fertilizer is an accessible cheap new fertilizer. It is also

accessible and is a remedy for the farmers to spend less money, it helped farming became more
productive.

This study is beneficial to the following:

Farmers. It helped the farmers not to spend too much money buying different expensive
commercial fertilizers for their crops.
Researchers. The study will help the future researchers in acquiring information’s about
the new liquified human hair waste.

1.5 Scope and Delimitation of the Study

In general, this study focused only towards the development of the new fertilizer, a product
generated out of nitrogen-rich containing material—human hair. The researchers only aimed to
study on the effectiveness of human hair waste as fertilizer liquefied using KOH, which were
applied on pechay (Brassica rapa) established in an artificial environment. The qualitative
properties of the liquefied human hair waste fertilizer was compared with that of KOH and
commercial fertilizer. The study began on mid-September and ended on last week of December;
it was held inside Philippine Normal University – Mindanao Campus, in front of LET Review
Center (LRC).

3.1 Research Design

The usage of fertilizers had long been known in the field of agriculture for its ability of
intensification of growth performance and output of the plants while enhancing the soil
environment and some being eco-friendly. Thus, this study aimed to determine the effectiveness
of the liquefied human hair waste as fertilizer in order to progressively promote natural farming.
In achieving the goal of this study, the researchers used the experimental design called Completely
Randomized Design (CRD) wherein subjects were randomly assigned to treatments.

3.2 Sample of the Study

The sample of this study was the human hair collected as waste from the barbershop located
in the vicinity of Poblacion, Prosperidad Agusan del Sur. The test samples used were the pechay
(Brassica rapa). Seeds were given by the regional office of the Department of Agriculture (DA)
located at Dop Complex, Patin-ay, Prosperidad, Agusan del Sur. The test samples were subjected
to different treatments.

3.3 Setting of the Study

This study was conducted at Philippine Normal University - Mindanao campus, P-23,
Poblacion, Prosperidad, Agusan del Sur, on the area located at the front of LET Review Center
(LRC) room. The test samples were confined in a green house built using with Polyethylene, 2x2
and 4x4 wood, nails, and net. These samples were collected by researchers in the aforementioned
town because of area accessibility and direct availability of plants studied. However, the loam soil
that used was procured at a farm located in Maygatasan, Bayugan City, Agusan del Sur.

3.4 Procedure

Soil Preparation
3.5 Data Gathering Procedure

Data for this study was gathered through observation. The variables observed were the
sample’s number of leaves, leaf area, fresh plant weight, and height, which were quality attributes
of the pechay applied with liquefied human hair waste fertilizer, potassium hydroxide (KOH), and
commercial fertilizer, respectively. These were observed, measured, and recorded every three (3)
days.

3.6 Data Analysis

The data from the experiment were gathered, organized, and analyzed. The statistical
method used by the researchers in responding to the research questions was the analysis of variance
(ANOVA) F-test to ascertain whether there were any statistically significant differences between
the treatments applied.

Abstract

Keywords: human hair, pechay, fertilizer

The study investigates the effectiveness of human hair as fertilizer by determining its qualitative
properties with the use of the measurements set: number of leaves, fresh plant weight, leaf area,
and plant height, which was compared with that of KOH and commercial fertilizer. The treatments
were applied on pechay (Brassica rapa) on the day of transplantation (after 2 weeks of seedling),
which were established in an artificial environment located in front of LET Review Center (LRC)
inside the Philippine Normal University – Mindanao Campus. The sample was procured as a waste
from a particular barbershop within the vicinity of Poblacion, Prosperidad Agusan del Sur.
Through the application of 100 g of potassium hydroxide (KOH), it was then liquefied to three (3)
various mixtures: 50 g, 150 g, and 250 g of human hair in a 1 L of water, respectively. The data
were gathered within every three (3) days and were organized and were analyzed using analysis
of variance (ANOVA) F-test.

5.2 Summary of the Study

Most people immediately consider human hair as a waste no longer functional as soon as
it was cut off, which if burnt, undesirably affects our environment. In order to prevent that from
happening, it should be known to people that human hair also has its atypical perks that can be
used in various ways, specifically plants. So, this study was conducted to determine the
effectiveness of human hair waste as fertilizer.

5.3 Conclusion

5.4 Recommendation

Based on the findings of this study conducted, here are some recommendations for its
improvement:
 The study needs to be re-studied either in the same way or with additional