Mealworm frass as a potential biofertilizer and abiotic stress tolerance-inductor in plants

Poveda, Jorge; Jiménez‐Gómez, Alejandro; Saati‐Santamaría, Zaki; Fernandez-Bueno, Iván; Rivas, Raúl; García‐Fraile, Paula

doi:10.1016/j.apsoil.2019.04.016

Cited by 121 publications

(122 citation statements)

References 89 publications

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“…Similar effects are known from the widely used earthworms (Eisenia fetida), which can stabilize organic wastes and introduce ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms, thereby boosting nitrification and increasing nitrate concentrations in the resulting vermicompost [45]. Other insect species inoculate the soil with excreted microorganisms and provide beneficial effects for its quality both in wild and artificial settings [46][47][48].…”

Section: Assessment Of Microbial Load In Frass and Frass-amended Soilsmentioning

confidence: 77%

Suitability of Black Soldier Fly Frass as Soil Amendment and Implication for Organic Waste Hygienization

et al. 2020

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Because of its nutritious properties, the black soldier fly has emerged as one of the most popular species in advancing circular economy through the re-valorization of anthropogenic organic wastes to insect biomass. Black soldier fly frass accumulates as a major by-product in artificial rearing set-ups and harbors great potential to complement or replace commercial fertilizers. We applied frass from larvae raised on different diets in nitrogen-equivalent amounts as soil amendment, comparing it to NH4NO3 fertilizer as a control. While the soil properties did not reveal any difference between mineral fertilizer and frass, principal component analysis showed significant differences that are mainly attributed to nitrate and dissolved nitrogen contents. We did not find significant differences in the growth of perennial ryegrass between the treatments, indicating that frass serves as a rapidly acting fertilizer comparable to NH4NO3. While the abundance of coliform bacteria increased during frass maturation, after application to the soil, they were outcompeted by gram-negatives. We thus conclude that frass may serve as a valuable fertilizer and does not impair the hygienic properties of soils.

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Section: Assessment Of Microbial Load In Frass and Frass-amended Soilsmentioning

confidence: 77%

Suitability of Black Soldier Fly Frass as Soil Amendment and Implication for Organic Waste Hygienization

et al. 2020

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“…Most research efforts on use of insect frass as a fertilizer have been conducted under controlled conditions (Kagata and Ohgushi, 2012;Poveda et al, 2019;Houben et al, 2020). Those that have involved BSF frass (Choi and Hassanzadeh, 2019) have been performed under potted conditions, without assessing the economic yield and nutrient utilization.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring Black Soldier Fly Frass as Novel Fertilizer for Improved Growth, Yield, and Nitrogen Use Efficiency of Maize Under Field Conditions

et al. 2020

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Black soldier fly frass fertilizer (BSFFF) is increasingly gaining momentum worldwide as organic fertilizer. However, research on its performance on crop production remains largely unknown. Here, we evaluate the comparative performance of BSFFF and commercial organic fertilizer (SAFI) on maize (H513) production. Both fertilizers were applied at the rates of 0, 2.5, 5, and 7.5 t ha-1 , and 0, 30, 60, and 100 kg nitrogen (N) ha-1. Mineral fertilizer (urea) was also applied at 0, 30, 60 and 100 kg N ha-1 to establish the N fertilizer equivalence (NFE) of the organic fertilizers. Maize grown in plots treated with BSFFF had the tallest plants and highest chlorophyll concentrations. Plots treated with 7.5 t ha-1 of BSFFF had 14% higher grain yields than plots treated with a similar rate of SAFI. There was a 27% and 7% increase in grain yields in plots treated with 100 kg N ha-1 of BSFFF compared to those treated with equivalent rates of SAFI and urea fertilizers, respectively. Application of BSFFF at 7.5 t ha-1 significantly increased N uptake by up to 23% compared to the equivalent rate of SAFI. Likewise, application of BSFFF at 100 kg N ha-1 increased maize N uptake by 76% and 29% compared to SAFI and urea, respectively. Maize treated with BSFFF at 2.5 t ha-1 and 30 kg N ha-1 had higher nitrogen recovery efficiencies compared to equivalent rates of SAFI. The agronomic N use efficiency (AE N) of maize treated with 2.5 t ha-1 of BSFFF was 2.4 times higher than the value achieved using an equivalent rate of SAFI. Also, the AE N of maize grown using 30 kg N ha-1 was 27% and 116% higher than the values obtained using equivalent rates of SAFI and urea fertilizers, respectively. The NFE of BSFFF (108%) was 2.5 times higher than that of SAFI. Application rates of 2.5 t ha-1 and 30 kg N ha-1 of BSFFF were found to be effective in improving maize yield, while double rates of SAFI were required. Our findings demonstrate that BSFFF is a promising and sustainable alternative to commercial fertilizers for increased maize production.

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“…The lack of support of mealworm frass on dragon fruit cacti growth is unexpected given a previous report (Houben et al, 2020;Poveda et al, 2019) . This difference may be due to the usage of 100% frass for our evaluation or due to the different nutritional requirements of the dragon fruit cacti, or the difference in frass from mealworms that are fed purely on PS.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 81%

“…The worms are also rich in chitin (Finke, 2007;Soon et al, 2018), a chemical shown to improve the growth and the yields of plants (Egusa et al, 2015;Houben et al, 2020;Poveda et al, 2019). More recently, superworms have also been reported to consume PS at a rate higher than mealworms (Yang et al, 2020), showing promise in the use of superworms in the fight against plastic pollution.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Plastic agriculture using worms: Augmenting polystyrene consumption and using frass for plant growth towards a zero-waste circular economy.

Koh

Ang

Yeo

et al. 2020

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Polystyrene (PS) is one of the major plastics contributing to environmental pollution with its durability and resistance to biodegradation. Recent research has found mealworms ( Tenebrio molitor ) and superworms ( Zophobas morio ) to be able to utilize PS as a carbon food source and degrade them without toxic effects. In this study, the effects of food additives on plastic consumption augmentation were studied, with small additions of sucrose and bran found to increase PS consumption. To close the plastic carbon cycle, we also evaluated the use of worm frass for dragon fruit cacti ( Hylocereus undatus ) growth and found that superworm frass supported rooting and growth better than mealworm frass and control media over a fortnight. Superworms, apart from being known fish and poultry feed, have been shown to be a suitable natural solution to the PS plastic problem that can support plant growth towards a zero-waste sustainable bioremediation cycle.

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Mealworm frass as a potential biofertilizer and abiotic stress tolerance-inductor in plants

Cited by 121 publications

References 89 publications

Suitability of Black Soldier Fly Frass as Soil Amendment and Implication for Organic Waste Hygienization

Suitability of Black Soldier Fly Frass as Soil Amendment and Implication for Organic Waste Hygienization

Exploring Black Soldier Fly Frass as Novel Fertilizer for Improved Growth, Yield, and Nitrogen Use Efficiency of Maize Under Field Conditions

Plastic agriculture using worms: Augmenting polystyrene consumption and using frass for plant growth towards a zero-waste circular economy.

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