Ashworth Amanda J, Amorim Helen Carla S, Drescher Gerson L, Moore Philip A, Rojas Maria Guadalupe, Morales-Ramos Juan, Donoghue Ann M
USDA-ARS Poultry Production and Product Safety Research Unit, Fayetteville, AR, 72701, USA.
Department of Crop, Soil, and Environmental Sciences, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, 72701, USA.
Sci Rep. 2025 Jan 24;15(1):3024. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-87075-8.
Insect farming is expected to increase in coming years, thus generating high quantities of frass (insect excreta). Frass valorization hinges on basic agronomic research prior to industry upscaling. Here, we investigated soil physiochemical properties, SMAF (Soil Management Assessment Framework) soil health, CO efflux, and bermudagrass [Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers.] yield and quality as affected by yellow mealworm (Tenebrio molitor L.) frass [3400 and 6800 kg ha, low (LF) and high (HF) rates], poultry litter (PL; 3400 kg ha), and ammonium nitrate (AN; 67 kg N ha). HF increased soil C, N, P, K, and Mg by 10, 12, 44, 58, and 61%, respectively, compared to AN. Even LF increased soil P, K, and Mg by 37, 31, and 32%, respectively, relative to AN. Compared to PL, HF increased soil N, K, and Mg by 12, 30, and 35%, respectively. After two years, HF increased soil C and N stocks 2- and 3-fold, respectively, relative to AN. Forage yield and quality were similar among amendments, while SMAF and CO were unaffected. Frass substantially improved soil fertility and maintained forage yield, underscoring its biofertilizer value and potential to increase circularity in agroecosystems under the global backdrop of reduced availability of non-renewable fertilizers.
预计昆虫养殖在未来几年会增加，从而产生大量的虫粪（昆虫排泄物）。虫粪的价值提升取决于工业扩大规模之前的基础农学研究。在此，我们研究了受黄粉虫（黄粉虫）虫粪[3400和6800千克/公顷，低（LF）和高（HF）施用量]、家禽粪便（PL；3400千克/公顷）和硝酸铵（AN；67千克氮/公顷）影响的土壤理化性质、土壤管理评估框架（SMAF）土壤健康状况、二氧化碳排放以及狗牙根[狗牙根（L.）Pers.]的产量和质量。与AN相比，HF分别使土壤碳、氮、磷、钾和镁增加了10%、12%、44%、58%和61%。即使是LF，相对于AN，土壤磷、钾和镁也分别增加了37%、31%和32%。与PL相比，HF分别使土壤氮、钾和镁增加了12%、30%和35%。两年后，相对于AN，HF使土壤碳和氮储量分别增加了2倍和3倍。各改良剂处理间的牧草产量和质量相似，而SMAF和二氧化碳排放不受影响。虫粪显著提高了土壤肥力并维持了牧草产量，凸显了其生物肥料价值以及在全球不可再生肥料供应减少的背景下增加农业生态系统循环性的潜力。
