Karkanis Anestis, Asprogeraka Angeliki Charitomeni, Paouris Efthymios, Ntanasi Theodora, Karavidas Ioannis, Rumbos Christos I, Athanassiou Christos G, Ntatsi Georgia
Department of Agriculture Crop Production and Rural Environment, University of Thessaly, 38446 Volos, Greece.
Department of Crop Production, Agricultural University of Athens, 11855 Athens, Greece.
Heliyon. 2024 Aug 2;10(15):e35508. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e35508. eCollection 2024 Aug 15.
Common sowthistle ( L.) and bristly oxtongue [ (L.) Holub] are winter broad-leaved weeds that have gained interest for cultivation as leafy vegetables. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of frass from the yellow mealworm ( L.) on nutrient content in soil, growth parameters, and nutrient content in above-ground plant tissues of common sowthistle and bristly oxtongue. Thus, two pot experiments were carried out with 5 treatments [control, calcium ammonium nitrate (CAN) applied at a dose of 100 kg N ha, and insect frass applied at a rate of 3500 kg ha (0.5 % w/w) 7000 kg ha (1 % w/w), and 14,000 kg ha (2 % w/w)]. Our results showed that the lowest values of growth parameters for both plant species were recorded in the control treatment. At the final rosette growth stage [e.g., 152 days after sowing (DAS)], the CAN treatment exhibited the highest values of rosette diameter and above-ground dry weight, followed by the highest rate of insect frass. Similarly, at 152 DAS the SPAD index values in the CAN treatment were 28.4-41.5 % higher compared to the control treatment in both species. Regarding root dry weight, the highest values were found in the CAN and insect frass 2 % treatments. In addition, the application of insect frass significantly enhanced soil fertility, with the highest levels of P and K recorded in the insect frass 2 % treatment. In contrast, the CAN treatment resulted in the highest NO-N content in the soil (15.83 and 19.26 mg kg in common sowthistle and bristly oxtongue, respectively). Moreover, both P and K content in the above-ground plant tissues had the highest values in the insect frass 2 % treatment, while the content of Mg, Mn, and Cu in plant tissues was not affected by the fertilization sources. Therefore, our findings indicate that insect frass can be an additional option in crop fertilization programs as it can improve both the soil fertility and growth of crops compared to conventional inorganic fertilizer sources. However, the effects of insect frass in mixtures with inorganic fertilizers needs to be taken into consideration in future studies.
苦苣菜（Sonchus oleraceus L.）和刺苞菜蓟（Picris echioides (L.) Holub）是冬季阔叶杂草，作为叶菜类蔬菜进行种植已引起人们的兴趣。本研究的目的是研究黄粉虫（Tenebrio molitor L.）粪便对土壤养分含量、生长参数以及苦苣菜和刺苞菜蓟地上部植物组织养分含量的影响。因此，进行了两个盆栽试验，设置了5种处理[对照、施用量为100 kg N ha的硝酸钙铵（CAN）、施用量为3500 kg ha（0.5% w/w）、7000 kg ha（1% w/w）和14000 kg ha（2% w/w）的昆虫粪便]。我们的结果表明，两种植物生长参数的最低值均出现在对照处理中。在莲座叶最终生长阶段[例如，播种后152天（DAS）]，CAN处理的莲座叶直径和地上部干重最高，其次是昆虫粪便施用量最高的处理。同样，在152 DAS时，两种植物CAN处理的SPAD指数值比对照处理高28.4 - 41.5%。关于根干重，CAN处理和2%昆虫粪便处理的值最高。此外，施用昆虫粪便显著提高了土壤肥力，2%昆虫粪便处理中P和K的含量最高。相比之下，CAN处理导致土壤中NO₃-N含量最高（苦苣菜和刺苞菜蓟中分别为15.83和19.26 mg kg）。此外，地上部植物组织中P和K的含量在2%昆虫粪便处理中最高，而植物组织中Mg、Mn和Cu的含量不受施肥来源的影响。因此，我们的研究结果表明，昆虫粪便可以作为作物施肥方案中的一个额外选择，因为与传统无机肥料来源相比，它可以提高土壤肥力和作物生长。然而，未来的研究需要考虑昆虫粪便与无机肥料混合的效果。
