Feasibility of Using Insect Frass to Improve Soil Fertility

Document Type : Research Paper

Author

Department o Entomology

Abstract

Insects are the most abundant organisms associated with plants and soil. Mass rearing of insects to supply animal feed has provided access to insect frass as a new source of organic fertilizer. The chemical composition of insect frass (i.e., proper amounts of organic nitrogen, soluble carbon, and nutritional elements as well as a low carbon to nitrogen ratio) and its physical properties (fine size and layered structure) have given rise to an increasing interest in their potential use for enhancing soil fertility and developing novel organic products. In addition to its being a rich source of plant nutrients, insect frass not only contains beneficial microorganisms such as some species of Bacillus and Pseudomonas bacteria but is also the only source of chitin available top plants to improve their resistance to biotic (insects and nematodes) and abiotic (drought and salinity) stresses. Current studies in the field are focused on the two industrial insects of black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) and mealworm (Tenebrio molitor). The results have shown that application of 5-10 tons of frass from these two insects per hectare of farm soil increases the yield, both in quantity and quality, in such important crops as rapeseed, barley, rye grass, corn, and sugar beet. Given the nationwide rise in the mass rearing of industrial insects, it is instructive to accelerate the development of appropriate methods and standards for their application as a fertilizer.

Keywords

References

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Land Management Journal
Volume 9, Issue 1
August 2021
Pages 127-139

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