Rochelle Escala Cabison

Jera Mae Esteves Calaton

Pamela Hermoso Inopiquez
Ma. Jocephine Gebilaguin Mago
Vanessa Mae Reyes Quintana

INTRODUCTION

Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus (DC.) Stapf.)
is cultivated in many countries around the world, for its
essential oil rich in terpene compounds .Citral, the main
constituent of lemongrass essential oil, is used in
perfumery, confectionery and infusions. In Europe,
leaves are used in teas and infusions. In Mexico,
lemongrass tea is used traditionally as a sleep aid,
tranquilizer, digestive, anti-influenza and
antispasmodic.
Here in Philippines, lemongrass is widely used in
terms of medicine like for diarrhea and many other
illnesses, aside from that lemongrass is also used as
additive in some Filipino foods in cooking stale fish to
improve the taste.

Statement of the problem

This study aims to determine the Effect of
vermicompost, worm-bed leachate and arbuscular mycorrizal
fungi on lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus (DC) Stapf.)
growth and composition of its essential oil. It seeks to answer
the following questions:
1. What is the effect of vermicomposting vermicompost,
worm-bed leachate and arbuscular mycorrizal fungi
process in the growth of lemongrass (Cymbopogon
citratus (DC) Stapf.)?
2. Is it possible that the vermicompost, worm-bed leachate
and arbuscular mycorrizal fungi will affect the growth of
the lemmon grass respectively on its essential oil?


3. What is the difference between the lemongrass that grows on an
ordinary soil and lemongrass that grows on a vermicompost, worm-
bed leachate and arbuscular mycorrizal fungi in terms of:
A. Essential oil
B. Leaves (length)
C. Color of the leaves
D. Texture of the leaves
E. Growth
4. What is the acceptability level of vermicompost, worm-bed leachate
and arbuscular mycorrizal fungi on lemongrass (Cymbopogon
citratus (DC) Stapf.) growth and composition of its essential oil in
terms of:
A. Essential oil
B. Leaves (length)
C. Color of the leaves
D. Texture of the leaves
E. Growth

Hypotheses


Before conducting the experiment the researcher formulated
hypothesis to be tested in the entire span of the study and there are
as follows:

The Effectiveness of vermicompost, worm-bed leachate and
arbuscular mycorrizal fungi on lemongrass (Cymbopogon
citratus (DC) Stapf.) growth and composition of its essential oil is
effective.

The Effectiveness of vermicompost, worm-bed leachate and
arbuscular mycorrizal fungi on lemongrass (Cymbopogon
citratus (DC) Stapf.) growth and composition of its essential oil is
not effective.

Methodology/Flow Process
Five sets of plant were prepared by the researcher
in order to observe the effect of the vermicompost, worm
bed and arbuscular mycorrizal on the growth anf
production of essential oil of the
lemongrass(Cymbopogon citratus (DC) Stapf )
Planting
Five plants namely Plant A, Plant B, Plant C, Plant D
and Plant E were prepared.
Plant A is a pot with a vermicompost.
Plant B is a composition of fertile soil and wormbed.
Plant C is a composition of fertile soil and arbuscular
mycorrizal .
Plant D is a pot with fertile soil.
Plant E is a composition of the 3 variables.

Extraction of Essential Oil
Decoction was the process used by the researcher
in order to examine the essential oil of the five plants.
Chop Lemongrass Heat the Lemongrass into
pieces 100 ml of water every set of plant

Extract the Store it in a sterilized
lemongrass Erlenmeyer Flask

Rubrics
In terms of essential oil the following terms was
used:
E1-High Production
E2-Moderate Production
E3-Low Production
E4-Very Low Production
Rubrics
In terms of growth the following terms was used:
G1-grows fast
G2-slow
G3-did not grow
Results
The result of the experimentation done by the
researcher were presented below:

Plant A Plant B Plant C Plant D Plant E
Growth G1 G1 G2 E2 G1
Essential Oil E2 E2 E3 G2 E2
Conclusion

Vermicompost increased the essential oil content
of lemongrass leaves. On the other hand, worm-bed
leachate increased the essential oil content, myrcene
and shoot dry weigh of lemongrass leaves. Glomus
mosseae had no effect on plant characteristics studied.
Vermicompost and WBL can be used in organic
cultivation of crops with higher plant yield and essential
oil content, while conserving the essential oil quality in
terms of the citral content
Recommendation

According to the study conducted by the
researcher it is therefore recommended to the following
that the use of vermicomposting will increase the citral
component of a lemongrass that is very useful in terms
of perfumery. In addition with the use of this process the
essential of lemongrass will increase itself.
Further study about the use of this process will
improve your skill in gardening. On the other hand
searching more about this study is highly recommended.