Facts About "Hugas-bigas"

Pechay

Pechay (Brassica Pekinensis) is also called Chinise Cabbage, pe-tsai, won bok and nappa. It is a versatile garden vegetable that maybe used in making salads, coleslaw, or added to other stir-fried vegetables. Its crisp, tender leaves has a milder and sweeter taste than true cabbage. It is a good source of vitamin A, folic acid and potassium.

The average pechay has a cylindrical head of four inches thick and a lenght of up to 18 inches long. The predominant variety of the the pechay has creamy yellow crinkly thickly veined inner leaves. It outer leaves are light green with a white midrid.

The pechay is available all year round and best planted in the summer. The heads of the mature Chinese cabbage are normally harvested when it is fully developed. It takes 70 to 90 days from planting for the pechay to reach maturity.

Rice

Rice (Oryza sativum) is a principal food of almost half the world's population. Rice flourish in Southeast Asia where there is warmth and moisture. It reaches an average height of around i metre. The fruit, a grain, is produced on the nodding panicle of spikelets at the apex of the stalk. A brown, fibrous husk surrounds a bran layer which encloses a white endosperm.

When the husks are removed, brown rice is left. A hundred grams of brown rice is comprised of 7.5 protein, 1.8 percent fat, 15 milligrams of calcium, 1.4 milligrams of iron, 357 calories, 0.3 milligrams of vitamin B, 0.05 milligrams of vitamin V2, and 4.6 milligrams of nicotinic acid. The remaining 100 grams are carbohydrates containing compounds.

The consumption of brown rice has increased because of the nutritional value of rice bran. As the layers of the rice are removed through pounding, milling, and washing, the proportion of the nutrients in the resulting grain is deminished while the proportion of the carbohydrates increases. When the nutritious bran is removed, white rice is left. Polished rice contains approximately 25 percent carbohydrates, trace amounts of iodine, iron (1mg), magnesium, vitamin B (0.08mg), vitamin V2 (0.03mg) and phosphorus, and negligible amounts of fat(0.7 percent) and protein (6.7 percent) per 100 g of rice.

Carbohydrates content in the rice consists of a polymer of glucose, starch. Starch is sometimes extracted from rice in East Asia to produce rice wine. Most starches are made up two components, amylase and amylopectin.

Most of the water soluble nutrients present in rice, vitamins such as thiamine, riboflavin,niacin and minerals, such as phophorus, calcium, and iron, loose starch granules and proteins are washed away before rice is cooked.

Before cooking, rice is soaked and washed atleast twice with tap water. The nutritious liquid waste is then disposed of. sometimes, the "washed water" is made into am, a liquid given to infants and children suffering from dehydration. In the provinces it is a practice among Filipino women to water their plants with "hugas-bigas."

A study on the different nutrients present in " hugas-bigas" was conducted. Pechay (Brassica Pekinensis) plants were divided into five groups. The first group was watered with 100 percent concentration of the first washing, the second group with 50 percent concentration of the first washing, the third group with 100 percent concentration of the second washing, the fourth group with 50 percent concentration of the second washing, and the fifth with tap water. The "hugas-bigas" was also tested for the presence of nitrogen and phosphorus, as well as soil and water pH. Observations of plant growth showed that the 50 percent concentration of the second washing contributed to the highest growth of pechay plants. The first washing of "hugas-bigas" had a 31.9 percent nitrogen concentration while the second washing had an 18.2 percent concentration.

Watering plants using "hugas-bigas" is practice observed by Filipinos in rural areas. Plants watered by "hugas-bigas" are observed to have considerable improvement of growth. This study aims to use "hugas-bigas" in watering pechay plants and to scientifically determine its effect on growth. The nutritive content of "hugas-bigas", specally its nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium content will also be noted and determined.