Earthworms (<i>Lumbricus terrestris</i> L.) Mediate the Fertilizing Effect of Frass
With the forecasted dramatic growth of insect rearing in the near future, frass (insect excreta) has been increasingly considered a sustainable resource for managing plant nutrition in cropping systems and a promising alternative to conventional fertilizer. However, the impact of soil fauna on its f...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2020-05-01
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| Series: | Agronomy |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/10/6/783 |
| _version_ | 1797566524658024448 |
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| author | Anne-Maïmiti Dulaurent Guillaume Daoulas Michel-Pierre Faucon David Houben |
| author_facet | Anne-Maïmiti Dulaurent Guillaume Daoulas Michel-Pierre Faucon David Houben |
| author_sort | Anne-Maïmiti Dulaurent |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | With the forecasted dramatic growth of insect rearing in the near future, frass (insect excreta) has been increasingly considered a sustainable resource for managing plant nutrition in cropping systems and a promising alternative to conventional fertilizer. However, the impact of soil fauna on its fertilizing effect has not been investigated so far. In this study, we investigated the effect of earthworms (<i>Lumbricus terrestris</i> L.) on nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K) and calcium (Ca) uptake and crop growth in the presence of frass from mealworm (<i>Tenebrio molitor</i> L.). Using a pot experiment, we found that earthworms increased N, P, K and Ca concentration in barley (<i>Hordeum vulgare</i> L.) in the presence of frass, suggesting that earthworm activity enhances the short-term recycling of nutrients from frass. Compared to treatments with and without frass and earthworms, the specific leaf area of barley was the highest in the presence of both earthworms and frass. This confirms that earthworms and frass have a synergistic effect on soil fertility. Overall, our study shows that earthworms may improve the efficiency of organic fertilizers and argues therefore for the importance of developing sustainable agricultural practices that promote earthworm populations. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T19:29:03Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c254fb8b897c424c8421a7b1a280037a |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4395 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T19:29:03Z |
| publishDate | 2020-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Agronomy |
| spelling | doaj.art-c254fb8b897c424c8421a7b1a280037a2023-11-20T02:21:34ZengMDPI AGAgronomy2073-43952020-05-0110678310.3390/agronomy10060783Earthworms (<i>Lumbricus terrestris</i> L.) Mediate the Fertilizing Effect of FrassAnne-Maïmiti Dulaurent0Guillaume Daoulas1Michel-Pierre Faucon2David Houben3UniLaSalle, AGHYLE, 19 rue Pierre Waguet, 60026 Beauvais, FranceŸnsect, 1 rue Pierre Fontaine, 91000 Evry, FranceUniLaSalle, AGHYLE, 19 rue Pierre Waguet, 60026 Beauvais, FranceUniLaSalle, AGHYLE, 19 rue Pierre Waguet, 60026 Beauvais, FranceWith the forecasted dramatic growth of insect rearing in the near future, frass (insect excreta) has been increasingly considered a sustainable resource for managing plant nutrition in cropping systems and a promising alternative to conventional fertilizer. However, the impact of soil fauna on its fertilizing effect has not been investigated so far. In this study, we investigated the effect of earthworms (<i>Lumbricus terrestris</i> L.) on nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K) and calcium (Ca) uptake and crop growth in the presence of frass from mealworm (<i>Tenebrio molitor</i> L.). Using a pot experiment, we found that earthworms increased N, P, K and Ca concentration in barley (<i>Hordeum vulgare</i> L.) in the presence of frass, suggesting that earthworm activity enhances the short-term recycling of nutrients from frass. Compared to treatments with and without frass and earthworms, the specific leaf area of barley was the highest in the presence of both earthworms and frass. This confirms that earthworms and frass have a synergistic effect on soil fertility. Overall, our study shows that earthworms may improve the efficiency of organic fertilizers and argues therefore for the importance of developing sustainable agricultural practices that promote earthworm populations.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/10/6/783earthwormsfrassinsect excretainsect farmingnitrogenphosphorus |
| spellingShingle | Anne-Maïmiti Dulaurent Guillaume Daoulas Michel-Pierre Faucon David Houben Earthworms (<i>Lumbricus terrestris</i> L.) Mediate the Fertilizing Effect of Frass Agronomy earthworms frass insect excreta insect farming nitrogen phosphorus |
| title | Earthworms (<i>Lumbricus terrestris</i> L.) Mediate the Fertilizing Effect of Frass |
| title_full | Earthworms (<i>Lumbricus terrestris</i> L.) Mediate the Fertilizing Effect of Frass |
| title_fullStr | Earthworms (<i>Lumbricus terrestris</i> L.) Mediate the Fertilizing Effect of Frass |
| title_full_unstemmed | Earthworms (<i>Lumbricus terrestris</i> L.) Mediate the Fertilizing Effect of Frass |
| title_short | Earthworms (<i>Lumbricus terrestris</i> L.) Mediate the Fertilizing Effect of Frass |
| title_sort | earthworms i lumbricus terrestris i l mediate the fertilizing effect of frass |
| topic | earthworms frass insect excreta insect farming nitrogen phosphorus |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/10/6/783 |
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