Effects of Different Application Rates of Black Soldier Fly Frass on Growth of Brassica juncea
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.53797/agrotech.v5i1.10.2026Keywords:
Black soldier fly, frass, mustard plant, bio-compost, plant growthAbstract
Today's agriculture often uses chemical fertilizers excessively, which leads to waste and soil pollution. Although there are many good effects of chemical fertilizers such as it can increase crop productivity but the excessive use of chemical fertilizers causes damage to the environment (Ali et al., 2021). Chemical fertilizers and pesticides are used excessively as a result of the growing global population and the consequent scarcity of land resources. This excessive use causes acidic soil and poisoning of underground water and the environment as a whole (Singh et al., 2021). Black soldier fly frass fertilizer (BSFFF) is the result of the conversion of organic bio-waste using BSF larvae into an organic fertilizer rich in nutrients and it is clean. Anyega et al. (2021) stated that a large amount of frass which is a mixture of substrate, feces, and uneaten exuvial is produced by the mass reproductive system of insects, and it has the potential to increase soil and crop productivity. There are 4 groups namely Control Group (NF), NPK Group (NPK), BSF Group with a litter quantity of 5.0 grams (BSF 5.0) and 2.5 grams (BSF 2.5). NPK fertilizer with a ratio of 16:16:16 was used in this experiment. Control group (NF) is unfertilized medium. Each treatment group had 3 replicates and was conducted in the greenhouse at MARDI. NPK 16-16-16 fertilizer is given according to the recommended quantity on the fertilizer package which is 2.5 grams. Most of the parameters showed that the NPK group had a greater effect on mustard growth in plant height, number of leaves, diameter of plant stem, and wet mass of plants and roots. In some investigations, the lack of compost stability may have contributed to the low growth (Lopes et al., 2022). In this experiment, BSF frass was produced fresh rather than composted afterwards. Composted BSF frass can ensure the stability and maturity of the frass. However, the number of leaves in the NPK treatment group was found to be reduced because some leaves were affected for several reasons. Throughout the observation, most plant pests, such as aphids and whiteflies, tended to come to plants that had been treated with NPK compared to BSF 2.5 and BSF 5.0. Although the NPK treatment group showed better results on mustard compared to the effects of BSF 2.5 and BSF 5.0, it was evident that there were nutrients available in the litter in comparison with the control group.
Keywords: Black soldier fly, frass, mustard plant, bio-compost, plant growth
Downloads
References
Ali, S. S., Kornaros, M., Manni, A., Al-Tohamy, R., El-Shanshoury, A. E. R., Matter, I. M., Elsamahy, T., Sobhy, M., & Sun, J. (2021a). Advances in microorganisms-based biofertilizers: Major mechanisms and applications. In Elsevier eBooks (pp. 371–385). https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-12- 821667-5.00023-3
Anyega, A. O., Korir, N. K., Beesigamukama, D., Changeh, G. J., Kiatoko, N., Subramanian, S., Van Loon, J., Dicke, M., & Tanga, C. M. (2021). Black Soldier Fly- Composted organic fertilizer enhances growth, yield, and nutrient quality of three key vegetable crops in Sub-Saharan Africa. Frontiers in Plant Science, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpl.680312
M
Barita, Y., Prihastanti, E., Haryanti, S., Subagio, A., & Ngadiwiyana, N. (2018). The influence of granting NPK fertilizer and nanosilic fertilizers on the growth of Ganyong plant (Canna edulis Ker.). Journal of Physics: Conference Series, 1025, 012054. https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/1025/1/012054
Dzepe, D., Mbenda, T. K., Ngassa, G., Mube, H., Chia, S. Y., Aoudou, Y., & Djouaka, R. (2022a). Application of Black Soldier Fly Frass, Hermetia illucens (Diptera: Stratiomyidae) as Sustainable Organic Fertilizer for Lettuce, Lactuca sativa, Production. Open Journal of Applied Sciences, 12(10), 1632–1648.
Gärttling, D., Kirchner, S., & Schulz, H. (2020). Assessment of the N- and P- Fertilization effect of Black Soldier Fly (Diptera: Stratiomyidae) By-Products on Maize. Journal of Insect Science, 20(5). https://doi.org/10.1093/jisesa/ieaa089
Ichwan, B., Eliyanti, E., Irianto, I., & Zulkarnain, Z. (2022). Combining humic acid with NPK fertilizer improved growth and yield of chili pepper in dry season. Advances in Horticultural Science, 36(4), 275–281. https://doi.org/10.36253/ahsc-12816
Kumar, M., Brar, A. S., Yadav, M., Chawade, A., Vivekanand, V., & Pareek, N. (2018). Chitinases—Potential Candidates for Enhanced Plant Resistance towards Fungal Pathogens. Agriculture, 8(7), 88. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture8070088
Lopes, I. G., Yong, J. W. H., & Lalander, C. (2022). Frass derived from black soldier fly larvae treatment of biodegradable wastes. A critical review and future perspectives. Waste Management, 142, 65–76. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2022.02.007
Olowoboko, T. B., Onasanya, O. O., Salami, O., & Azeez, J. O. (2017). Growth and uptake in maize as influenced by NPK fertilizer in Green House experiment. International Journal of Plant and Soil Science, 17(3), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.9734/ijpss/2017/34399
Rosmiati,dU M., Nurjanah, K.A., Suantika, G. and Putra, R.E. (2017) Application of Compost Produced by Bioconversion of Coffee Husk by Black Soldier Fly Larvae (Hermetia illucens) as Solid Fertilizer to Lettuce (Lactuca sativa Var. Crispa): Impact to Growth. Proceedings of the International Conference on Green Technology, 8, 38-44.
Singh, D., Thapa, S., Geat, N., Mehriya, M. L., & Rajawat, M. V. S. (2021). Biofertilizers: Mechanisms and application. In Elsevier eBooks (pp. 151–166). https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-12-821667-5.00024-5
Tangahu, B. V. (2016). Growth rate measurement of Scirpus grossus plant as preliminary step to apply the plant in wastewater treatment using reedbed system. Journal of Civil & Environmental Engineering, 05(06). https://doi.org/10.4172/2165-784x.1000192
Wichuk, K., & McCartney, D. (2010). Compost stability and maturity evaluation — a literature reviewA paper submitted to the Journal of Environmental Engineering and Science. Canadian Journal of Civil Engineering, 37(11), 1505–1523. https://doi.org/10.1139/l10-101
Wu, L., Q, L., & Martínez, G. (2000). Comparison of methods for evaluating stability and maturity of biosolids compost. Journal of Environmental Quality, 29(2), 424–429. https://doi.org/10.2134/jeq2000.00472425002900020008x
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Mohd Yusri Zainudin, Muhammad Ariff Mohd Rasul, Nurhannah Abdul Halim
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
