Integrating plant production with insect farming, termed "entomoponics," involves using plant waste as a substrate for insect rearing, while returning insect frass to fertilize the plants. In this study, vegetative wastes from strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa) and common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) were incorporated into a wheat bran-based substrate for rearing yellow mealworms (MW; Tenebrio molitor). The wastes were either autoclaved or autoclaved and then fermented with the fungus Trichoderma reesei, and mixed in a 50:50 ratio with wheat bran.
Replacing 50% of the wheat bran with autoclaved bean waste did not significantly affect MW yield, but the yield was reduced when bean wastes were fermented or left untreated. Incorporating bean waste, whether treated or untreated, increased the calcium (Ca), potassium (K), and iron (Fe) content in the MW. Incorporating strawberry vegetative waste into the substrate compensated for the yield regardless of the pre-treatment, but enhanced manganese (Mn), zinc (Zn), and Fe levels in the produced MW. Plant flavonoids were reduced when the wastes were pre-treated and did not accumulate in the MW biomass.
These findings provide insights into using plant vegetative wastes as a partial supplement in MW rearing substrates and the potential effects on the growth and nutritional composition of the resulting MW biomass.
Yakti, W., Schulz, S., Förster, N., Deruytter, D., Müller, M., Mewis, I., & Ulrichs, C. (2025). Utilising common bean and strawberry vegetative wastes in yellow mealworm (Tenebrio molitor) substrates: Effects of pre-treatment on growth and composition. Scientific Reports, 15(1), 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-91732-3
Source: Nature