Among
Filipinos, perhaps the most popular leafy vegetable next to kangkong is pechay
(Brassica chinensis). No beef or pork stew (nilagang baka or baboy)
is without pechay, so with “kari-kari,”
a specialty originally made from ox tail topped with bagoong alamang (shrimp paste). Pesang
dalag (mudfish stew) is without pechay.
Fried meat with pechay is common in carinderia.
Pechay salad, anyone?
What do we get out of pechay? What nutritional value does it have which
contributes to health?
According to nutritionists, pechay is rich
in vitamins, iron, phosphorous and calcium. Vitamins and minerals constitute
the so-called “glow” food group, which together with “go” food (carbohydrates)
and “grow” or protein-rich food, completes the balanced diet pyramid. Vitamins and mineral are keepers of good
grooming, and protect the body from the attack of harmful bacteria and
fungi. They also make our bones and
muscles strong, and make us active and attractive, adding zest to life.
Laboratory
Analysis Report
Nutrient analysis was conducted on pechay
grown on two mediums by the Central Analytical Services Laboratory of the
National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (BIOTECH) of UPLB. Organically grown pechay (cultured in
conventional plots fertilized with organic matter such as compost), was
compared with pechay grown on hydroponics solution (soiless medium). Here is
the result of the comparative analysis.
Table 1 – Food Nutrients
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Medium
Used % Ash
%Crude Protein % Crude
Fiber % Crude Fat
1. Org
Fertilizer 1.06 1.19 0.38 0.09
2.
Hydroponics 1.23 1.32 0.51 0.11
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Other than minerals and vitamins, we get
from pechay digestible fiber which helps in the elimination of wastes and
toxins from the body. Regular
elimination of toxins protects us from diseases such as colon cancer, kidney
and liver ailments. It makes us more active and resistant. Although low in
crude protein and crude fat, the amount is nonetheless important in
supplementing poor diet.
The advantage of hydroponics grown pechay
over organic fertilizer grown pechay is in the amount of calcium, while the
difference in iron is not significantly different as shown in this table.
Table 2 – Mineral Nutrients
Medium
Used Total P (ppm) Total Ca (ppm) Total Fe (ppm)
1. Org
Fertilizer 381.33 918 25.81
2.
Hydroponics 322.33 1400 28.17
Higher calcium content in hydroponically
grown pechay is traced to the volcanic cinder used as substrate to keep the plant
upright and its roots well spread in the solution.
These findings were derived from a group
thesis conducted by Anthony Pantaleon,
Ian Sampelo, and Jason Javier, entitled Comparative Nutritive Value of Pechay
Grown Organically and in Hydroponics in Tagaytay. It is a collaborative work between this
research group from the College of Pharmacy of the University of Santo Tomas
and the University of the Philippines at Los Banos. The samples were procured from commercial
farms in Tagaytay that grow vegetables using both mediums. The increasing
popularity of organically grown food on one hand, and the commercialization of
hydroponics grown vegetables in the Philippines, on the other, has opened a new
interest on the subject of nutrition.
Mineral
Nutrients
Iron (Fe) aids in the oxygenation of the
body through the lungs and blood. Since
oxygen is essential to life, people who lack iron are anemic, docile and
sickly. The most practical source of
iron is leafy vegetables. Aside from
pechay and other members of Family Brassicaceae (formerly Cruciferae), sweet
potato or kamote tops (Ipomea batatas)
is an excellent source of iron.
Phosphorous (P) is important in the proper
functioning of the brain and nerves, for which it is also referred, “brain
element”. Iodine and phosphorous are very important in brain development of
young people. Adequate phosphorous is also derived from other vegetables, meat
and fish, grains, seeds and nuts.
Calcium (Ca) is important to long life
because it does not only build but rebuild tissues in the bones and muscles -
and all cells of the body for that matter.
Since women deplete calcium faster than men, higher calcium intake is
recommended specially toward the menopausal stage. Other sources of calcium are
milk, other vegetables, specially onion, cereals, poultry and fish. Calcium
maintains balanced pH (acidity-alkalinity level) in our body, and promotes the
production of hormones.
People who are well provided with calcium
have large and heavy bones. They are active workers and athletes and are
sexually active.
Hydroponics
Hydroponics is not new in the
country. Way back in the 1950’s, the
former Araneta Institute of Agriculture (now De La Salle University (Araneta)
had been growing tomatoes and other vegetables in soilless medium or
hydroponics. I had a chance to study and work on hydroponics in its modern greenhouses. The
professors of the institute were some of the country’s foremost scientists like
Dr. Nemesio Mendiola, Dr. Eduardo Quisumbing, Dr. Deogracias Villadolid, Dr.
Juan Aquino and Dr. Fernando de Peralta, who were then professors in this first
private agricultural college in the country.
These scientists saw the need for a
scientific approach in agriculture even as Mindanao then was newly opened to
agriculture. It was the first time I
realized that if we want to have food that is nutritious and safe, we must be
able to control both the physiology of the plant and the environment in which
it is cultivated. These scientists were
talking of agriculture very much ahead of their time.
Today the best tomatoes are grown in
hydroponics. In Japan I saw large-scale
hydroponics in sprawling greenhouses covering several hectares of floor
area. Plants grow on continuously flowing
solution without soil, systematic and fully computerized.
In Taiwan, off-season melons are grown in
hydroponics in greenhouses. They command premium price locally and abroad. In Israel,
hydroponics is practiced virtually in the middle of the desert, a modern
version of the biblical saying, “the land flowing with milk and honey.”
To give an idea what the solution
contains, the formula is one that is based on specific nutrient requirement of
a particular crop in its various stages of growth and development. Dr. Fernando
de Peralta based his formula on University of Nebraska hydroponics and modified
it according to local conditions for common crops, like tomato.
For a hydroponics project, here is the
procedure and the materials required.
1. With 20 liters water, mix potassium
nitrate, 20.1 gm; calcium nitrate, 6.7 gm; double superphosphate, 5 gm; and
magnesium sulfate, 5.0 gm.
2. Separately mix in 1 liter the
following: iron sulfate, 26 gm; manganese sulfate, 2.0 gm; basic lead, 1.6;
zinc sulfate, 0.8; copper sulfate, 0.5.
3. After pre-mixing each group, add the
second solution to the first and measure at least 18 liters. Together with tap
water the remaining balance will be used to replace evaporation as may be
needed.
4. Start with seedlings, of say,
tomato. Be sure they are sturdy and
uninjured. Keep them in place with
string and mesh wire, care being undertaken to keep the roots undisturbed while
the shoot is held upright towards the source of light.
Organic farming on the other hand follows
the conventional method of cultivating crops on plots. The big difference is to use organic
fertilizer prepared from compost and farm residues, instead of chemical
fertilizer. Generally, organically grown
plants are healthier and sturdier than those applied with chemicals. Chicken
droppings are effective in controlling soil pest like nematodes, crickets,
grubs, damping-off fungi and bacterial wilt.
Because of this there is little need to protect the plants by spraying
chemicals. If spraying cannot be
avoided, use botanical pesticides such as nicotine, garlic extract, derris, and
the like, which are safe to health and the environment.
Here is an insecticide solution against
common pest of pechay. In 5 liters of
water, mix garlic extract from a whole bulb, and a little Perla soap. (This brand uses coconut oil in
saponification, most commercial brands used fossil-based oil.) Filter and use
this solution as spray, or with the use of sprinkler. It is best to apply after
watering the plants, so that the pesticide effect remains longer or until the next
watering. Repeat application until the plants are two weeks old.
Repellants like garlic, lantana,
chrysanthemum, ginger, and the like, have been found to keep off many insect
pests, thus eliminating the need to spray with chemicals. Do not hesitate to
consult your local agriculturist.
The Hydro Garden, Talisay City, Cebu, of Ms Ulyssa Marie. Practical hydroponic gardening - passion and hobby.
Grow Pechay at Home
First, sow the seeds in seed trays made
from discarded carton egg trays, one to two seeds per “hole” or socket. At transplanting time, scoop each seedling
from the tray without damaging the roots, and transfer it to a one-liter
plastic pot filled with soil and compost.
This substrate is prepared by scraping the topsoil of a garbage
pile. Include the ash. Sieve to remove other materials.
Old tires can be used in place of pots. It can accommodate up to twenty plants. In 30 days you can start harvesting pechay,
leaving the smaller ones to allow them to grow further. You may harvest only the mature leaves so
that you can have a continuous supply of this vegetable until it flowers and
produces seeds, in which case you can start a seed nursery for a second or
third crop.
Why buy pechay when you can raise it at
home, either through organic farming, or hydroponics - or by simply
growing them in pots or old tires. Think
of both economics and ecology: nutritious food, good health, outdoor exercise,
source of income, and a beautiful and clean surrounding.
Organic Pechay: Corazon showing her organically-grown pechay
500 model farmers will be trained on organic farming to increase their production at the same time mitigate climate change. They will establish model farms and teach the technologies to other farmers.
