RESPONSE OF FINGER PEPPER (Capsicum frutescens) SUPPLEMENTED WITH

DIFFERENT RATES OF RICE WASH

RODOLFO M. OFIANA JR.

DON MARIANO MARCOS MEMORAL STATE UNIVERSITY

BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN AGRICULTURE

MAY 2020
 Chapter 1

Introduction

Situation Analysis

Chili pepper is the fruit of plants from the genus Capsicum which are members of the

nightshade family, Solanaceae. Capsicum frutescens is a species of chili pepper that is sometimes

considered to be part of the species Capsicum annuum. Pepper cultivars of C. frutescens can be

annual or short-lived perennial plants. Flowers are white with a greenish white or greenish yellow

corolla, and are either insect- or self-pollinated. The plants' berries typically grow erect; ellipsoid-

conical to lanceoloid shaped. They are usually very small and pungent, growing 10–20 millimetres

(0.39–0.79 in) long and 3–7 millimetres (0.12–0.28 in) in diameter. Fruit typically grows a pale

yellow and matures to a bright red, but can also be other colors. C. frutescens has a smaller variety

of shapes compared to other Capsicum species. C. frutescens has been bred to produce ornamental

strains, because of its large quantities of erect peppers growing in colorful ripening patterns. A

long yellowish green chili, 4 to 6 inches long, about 3/4-inch diameter at the stem end, and tapering

to a point. Pinning down how hot Mahabas are has not been easy, as information from the

Philippines is conflicting. I now have pretty reliable evidence that Mahabas are "mild to medium

mild", which has allowed me to assign "Mahaba" to these chilis. They have just started to appear

in quantity in a Philippine market near me (Eagle Rock, California), sold as "Chili Sweet" for 2015

US $2.99 / pound.

These chilis ranged between 4-1/2 and 5-1/2 inches long and 3/4 inch at the cap end. They

varied in heat from almost no heat (a few) to distinctly sharp (most). The walls are fairly thin, and

note the slight swelling just below the cap, which appears in most photos I've found of Mahabas.
 Capsicum annuum is a species of the plant genus Capsicum (chilies or peppers and

capsicums or bell peppers) native to southern North America and northern South America. This

species is the most common and extensively cultivated of the five domesticated capsicums; the

species encompasses a wide variety of shapes and sizes of peppers, both mild and hot, such as bell

peppers, jalapeños, New Mexico chile, and cayenne peppers. Cultivars descended from the wild

American bird pepper are still found in warmer regions of the Americas. In the past, some woody

forms of this species have been called C. frutescens, but the features that were used to distinguish

those forms appear in many populations of C. annuum and are not consistently recognizable

features in C. frutescens species. Although the species name annuum means “annual” (from

the Latin annus “year”), the plant is not an annual but is frost tender. In the absence of winter frosts

it can survive several seasons and grow into a large, shrubby perennial herb; the single flowers are

an off-white (sometimes purplish) color while the stem is densely branched and up to 60 cm (24 in)

tall. The fruit are berries that may be green, yellow, orange or red when ripe. While the species

can tolerate most frost-free climates, C. annuum is especially productive in warm and dry climates.

Rice water is a mild fertilizer and consistent use could take the worry out of over fertilizing.

The starches from leftover rice water will help encourage beneficial soil bacteria, while the

vitamins and minerals will add small amounts of NPK (nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium) to

the soil. Generally, after a wash rice loses up to 7% protein, 30% crude fiber, 15% free amino

acids, 25% calcium (Ca), 47% total phosphorus (P), 47% iron (Fe), 11% zinc (Zn), 41% potassium

(K), 59% thiamine, 26% riboflavin, and 60% niacin. Logically it would follow that what was lost

from the rice is now gained by the water. Following on it could be hypothesis that the leached

nutrients now in the rice water could be beneficial to our houseplants. Further to this, information

from other sources also indicates that the starches found in rice water accelerate growth of the
many types of beneficial soil bacteria and fungi such as lactobacilli and mycorrhizae that can

already be found to pre-exist in the soil – which then in turn feed the plants, helping plants grow

stronger, healthier and more resistant to diseases.

Objectives

1. To determine the growth performance of finger pepper by applying different rates of rice

wash.

2. To be able to find which treatment will yield a lot.

3. To determine the most effective rate of rice wash suited for finger pepper.

Time and Place of the Study

The study was conducted on February to March at the Barangay Amallapay, Tubao, La

Union.

Definition of Terms

Cropping - the cultivated produce of the ground, while growing or when gathered

Develop - grow or cause to grow and become more mature, advanced, or elaborate.

Effect - a change which is a result or consequence of an action or other cause.

Fruit - is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants (also known as angiosperms)

formed from the ovary after flowering.

Growth - the process of increasing in physical size.

Hybrid - an offspring of two animals or plants of different races, breeds, varieties, species,

or genera.
 Infestation - the presence of an unusually large number of insects or animals in a place,

typically so as to cause damage or disease.

Interval - an intervening time or space.

Time - the indefinite continued progress of existence and events in the past, present, and

future regarded as a whole.

Weather - the state of the atmosphere at a place and time as regards heat, dryness, sunshine,

wind, rain, etc.

Temperature - the degree or intensity of heat present in a substance or object, especially as

expressed according to a comparative scale and shown by a thermometer or perceived by touch.

METHODOLOGY

Research Design

The plot experimented was laid out in Completely Randomized Block Design (CRBD).

Twelve (12) polyethylene plots were used in this study with four (4) treatments.

The following treatments used were as follows;

T0 = Control (no fertilizer)

T1 = 250 ml of Rice Wash

T2 = 500 ml of Rice Wash

T3 = 750 ml of Rice Wash

Materials and Procedure

Seedling of finger pepper, polyethylene, kitchen waste, and pale for watering the plants

will be the material in this study. Furthermore, measuring tools is the meter stick or ruler, record

book and pen will also be going to use for gathering for data.

Procurement of Planting Materials

Twelve (12) pots was purchased at Lily’s Garden, Balligi, Laoac, Pangasinan and

thirty-six (36) seedlings of finger pepper purchased from Ark Agri Trading at Agoo, La Union.

Rice Wash Preparation – was collected when cooking rice.

Potting Preparation – this was done through putting soil to the polyethylene plastic bags.
Review of Related Literature

Chili Pepper Chili peppers, Capsicum annuum, perennial plants in the Family

Solanaceae are grown for their edible fruits. Chili peppers originated in the Americas.

After the Columbian Exchange, many cultivars of chili pepper spread across the

world, used in both food and medicine. Chilies were brought to Asia by Portuguese

navigators during the 16thcentury. (Lea, n.d.). Capsaicin is the main chemical that makes

chili peppers hot (Lea, n.d.). C a p s a i c i n i s a l s o u s e d a s a n a n i m a l r e p e l l e n t

a g a i n s t i n s e c t s a n d m i t e s , b y damaging their membrane (Lea, n.d.). Capsaicin was

first registered for use in the United States in 1962. The U.S. Environmental

Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) c o ns i d er s i t t o b e a b i o c h e m i c a l p e st i c i de

b e c a u s e i t i s a n a t u r a l l y o c c u r r i n g substance. Extracts from the pepper discourages

the pest from laying eggs (Scott,2003).The pepper works better as an insecticide when insects

are soft-bodied during the larval stage because the chemical is able to penetrate and pierce

through their body (Scott, 2003).

Chili pepper is safe to use as an insecticide, animals are not harmed b y

Capsaicin (Lea, n.d.). Pepper is unlikely to cause many of the problems associated with

synthetic pesticides, such as groundwater contamination, insect resistance and human illness

(Scott, 2003).