Publicação
Mealworm Larvae Frass Exhibits a Plant Biostimulant Effect on Lettuce, Boosting Productivity beyond Just Nutrient Release or Improved Soil Properties
| Resumo: | There is a need for alternatives or complements to synthetic fertilizers to enhance agricultural sustainability. Applying organic amendments can play a significant role in this. Insect droppings show high potential, though studies evaluating their agronomic value have only recently begun to emerge. This study compared black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens L.) and mealworm (Tenebrio molitor L.) larvae frass with another organic amendment (Nutrimais) derived from composting forestry, agro-industrial, and domestic waste. The experiment also included ammoniumnitrate at two rates [the same as the organic amendments, 50 kg ha−1 nitrogen (N) (FullR), and half that rate (HalfR)] and an unfertilized control. The study spanned two growth cycles of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) grown in pots, followed by unfertilized oats (Avena sativa L.) to assess the residual effects of the fertilizing treatments. Mealworm larvae frass mineralized rapidly, with an apparent N recovery of 37.4% over the two lettuce growth cycles, indicating its high availability to soil heterotrophic microorganisms. The average dry matter yield (DMY) of lettuce was the highest among all treatments (12.8 and 9.8 g plant−1 in the first and second lettuce cycles), even compared to the FullR treatment (12.2 and 7.8 g plant−1), though without significant differences. Although mealworm larvae frass exhibited a highmineralization rate, the DMY cannot be attributed solely to N supply, as plants in the FullR treatment showed better N nutritional status. Mealworm larvae frass provided strong evidence of a plant biostimulant effect, not explained by the variablesmeasured in this study. Black soldier fly larvae frass exhibited typical behavior of amoderately reactive organic amendment, while Nutrimais showed low reactivity, with a near-neutral mineralization/immobilization balance. The results suggest mealworm larvae frass is recommended for earlymaturing vegetable crops, whereas Nutrimais appearsmore suitable for perennial crops with low short-termnutrient requirements. |
|---|---|
| Autores principais: | Foughar, Meroua |
| Outros Autores: | Arrobas, Margarida; Rodrigues, M.A. |
| Assunto: | Black soldier fly frass Hermetia illucens Tenebrio molitor Insect droppings Manuring effect |
| Ano: | 2024 |
| País: | Portugal |
| Tipo de documento: | artigo |
| Tipo de acesso: | acesso aberto |
| Instituição associada: | Instituto Politécnico de Bragança |
| Idioma: | inglês |
| Origem: | Biblioteca Digital do IPB |
| Resumo: | There is a need for alternatives or complements to synthetic fertilizers to enhance agricultural sustainability. Applying organic amendments can play a significant role in this. Insect droppings show high potential, though studies evaluating their agronomic value have only recently begun to emerge. This study compared black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens L.) and mealworm (Tenebrio molitor L.) larvae frass with another organic amendment (Nutrimais) derived from composting forestry, agro-industrial, and domestic waste. The experiment also included ammoniumnitrate at two rates [the same as the organic amendments, 50 kg ha−1 nitrogen (N) (FullR), and half that rate (HalfR)] and an unfertilized control. The study spanned two growth cycles of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) grown in pots, followed by unfertilized oats (Avena sativa L.) to assess the residual effects of the fertilizing treatments. Mealworm larvae frass mineralized rapidly, with an apparent N recovery of 37.4% over the two lettuce growth cycles, indicating its high availability to soil heterotrophic microorganisms. The average dry matter yield (DMY) of lettuce was the highest among all treatments (12.8 and 9.8 g plant−1 in the first and second lettuce cycles), even compared to the FullR treatment (12.2 and 7.8 g plant−1), though without significant differences. Although mealworm larvae frass exhibited a highmineralization rate, the DMY cannot be attributed solely to N supply, as plants in the FullR treatment showed better N nutritional status. Mealworm larvae frass provided strong evidence of a plant biostimulant effect, not explained by the variablesmeasured in this study. Black soldier fly larvae frass exhibited typical behavior of amoderately reactive organic amendment, while Nutrimais showed low reactivity, with a near-neutral mineralization/immobilization balance. The results suggest mealworm larvae frass is recommended for earlymaturing vegetable crops, whereas Nutrimais appearsmore suitable for perennial crops with low short-termnutrient requirements. |
|---|