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Soil amendment potential of black soldier fly (Diptera: Stratiomyidae) frass/exuviae: implications for plant biomass allocation and salicylic acid induction.

PubMed · 2026-05-17

Waste left over from farming black soldier fly larvae — the insect used to convert food scraps into animal feed — can act as a fertilizer that also primes plants to defend themselves against pests, even before any pest shows up.

1

BSF frass/exuviae elevated salicylic acid levels in bok choy plants even without any herbivore attack, indicating passive priming of plant defenses.

2

Plants treated with BSF by-products showed a significantly higher root-to-shoot ratio compared to chemical fertilizer controls, shifting biomass allocation toward roots.

3

Fermenting or granulating the frass before use did not change plant growth or photosynthesis outcomes relative to raw, unprocessed material.

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