THE GROWTH AND YIELD RESPONSE OF LETTUCE (Lactuca sativa L.) AS AFFECTED BY DIFFERENT SOURCES OF FOLIAR FERTILIZER

Abstract Due to increasing population there is a need to increase food production and one of the common methods to increase production is the use of chemical fertilizers for fast crop growth without even thinking the adverse effects it may have to people. In response to this, Republic Act 10068 Organic Agriculture Act of 2010 an act that provides safe food for the people and ensure sustainability of the environment. The study aims to determine the effect of different foliar fertilizer derived from different sources. The following treatments were evaluated; Control water only (T0), Extract from fruit scraps (T1), Extract from vegetable scraps (T2), Extract from leftover rice (T3), and Extract from mixed scrap of fruits, vegetable and leftover rice (T4). Collected foliar fertilizer solutions from the different food scraps were subjected for NPK analysis. Foliar extract from leftover rice (T3) obtained the highest total NPK content of 0.67%. Results of pot experiment for the efficacy of the different collected foliars showed that foliar fertilizer obtained from mixed scraps (T4) increased the plant height, obtained bigger size of leaves and consequently obtained the heaviest weight.