Abstract
Abstract The house cricket ( Acheta domesticus ) is a widely farmed edible insect species, and its by-product – frass – has potential as a sustainable soil amendment. However, the efficacy of frass may depend on how it is pre-treated and applied. This study evaluated the effects of cricket frass on the vegetative growth and nutrient concentration of spring wheat ( Triticum aestivum ) under different frass pre-treatments and application methods. Wheat was pot-grown in a greenhouse for eight weeks — from seed germination to flowering — with one control (no frass) and six experimental treatments, combining two pre-treatments (non-heated and heat-treated frass) and three frass application methods (surface application, mixed into the substrate, and 2-week delayed application). Germination, plant height, shoot biomass, leaf chlorophyll content, and shoot nutrient concentration were measured. Frass pre-treatment and application method significantly influenced wheat growth and nutrient concentration. Germination reached 100% with heat-treated frass mixed into the substrate and delayed application of no-heat frass but dropped to 60% with surface-applied heat-treated frass. The tallest plants grew with no-heat frass mixed into the substrate, while surface application, regardless of heat treatment, produced the greatest shoot biomass. Delayed application, regardless of pre-treatment, resulted in the highest leaf chlorophyll content. Surface-applied heat-treated frass increased plant nitrogen and potassium concentrations, whereas no-heat mixed frass enhanced phosphorus levels. These findings demonstrate that cricket frass can improve wheat growth and nutrient concentration, but its effects vary by pre-treatment and application method. Optimising these factors could maximise its potential as a sustainable soil amendment in crop production.
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Claims 9
Claim · model-written summary
Heat-treated frass mixed into substrate yielded 100% germination.
- Taxon
- spring wheat
Triticum aestivumt0 - Treatment
- heat-treated frass mixed into the substratee0
- Outcome
- Germinatione0
- Direction
- reachede0
- Value
- 100%e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“spring wheat”
e0“Germination reached 100% with heat-treated frass mixed into the substrate and delayed application of no-heat frass but dropped to 60% with surface-applied heat-treated frass.”
Claim · model-written summary
Delayed no-heat frass application yielded 100% germination.
- Taxon
- spring wheatTriticum aestivumt0
- Treatment
- delayed application of no-heat frasse0
- Outcome
- Germinatione0
- Direction
- reachede0
- Value
- 100%e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“spring wheat”
e0“Germination reached 100% with heat-treated frass mixed into the substrate and delayed application of no-heat frass but dropped to 60% with surface-applied heat-treated frass.”
Claim · model-written summary
Surface-applied heat-treated frass reduced germination to 60%.
- Taxon
- spring wheatTriticum aestivumt0
- Treatment
- surface-applied heat-treated frasse0
- Outcome
- Germinatione0
- Direction
- droppede0
- Value
- 60%e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“spring wheat”
e0“Germination reached 100% with heat-treated frass mixed into the substrate and delayed application of no-heat frass but dropped to 60% with surface-applied heat-treated frass.”
Claim · model-written summary
No-heat frass mixed into substrate produced the tallest wheat plants.
- Taxon
- spring wheatTriticum aestivumt0
- Treatment
- no-heat frass mixed into the substratee0
- Outcome
- tallest plantse0
- Direction
- talleste0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“spring wheat”
e0“The tallest plants grew with no-heat frass mixed into the substrate, while surface application, regardless of heat treatment, produced the greatest shoot biomass.”
Claim · model-written summary
Surface frass application produced the greatest shoot biomass regardless of heat treatment.
- Taxon
- spring wheatTriticum aestivumt0
- Treatment
- surface applicatione0
- Outcome
- shoot biomasse0
- Direction
- greateste0
- Qualifier
- regardless of heat treatmente0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“spring wheat”
e0“surface application, regardless of heat treatment, produced the greatest shoot biomass”
Claim · model-written summary
Delayed application yielded the highest leaf chlorophyll content regardless of pretreatment.
- Taxon
- spring wheatTriticum aestivumt0
- Treatment
- Delayed applicatione0
- Outcome
- leaf chlorophyll contente0
- Direction
- higheste0
- Qualifier
- regardless of pre-treatmente0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“spring wheat”
e0“Delayed application, regardless of pre-treatment, resulted in the highest leaf chlorophyll content.”
Claim · model-written summary
Surface-applied heat-treated frass increased wheat nitrogen concentration.
- Taxon
- spring wheatTriticum aestivumt0
- Treatment
- Surface-applied heat-treated frasse0
- Outcome
- plant nitrogene0
- Direction
- increasede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“spring wheat”
e0“Surface-applied heat-treated frass increased plant nitrogen and potassium concentrations, whereas no-heat mixed frass enhanced phosphorus levels.”
Claim · model-written summary
Surface-applied heat-treated frass increased wheat potassium concentration.
- Taxon
- spring wheatTriticum aestivumt0
- Treatment
- Surface-applied heat-treated frasse0
- Outcome
- potassium concentrationse0
- Direction
- increasede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“spring wheat”
e0“Surface-applied heat-treated frass increased plant nitrogen and potassium concentrations, whereas no-heat mixed frass enhanced phosphorus levels.”
Claim · model-written summary
No-heat mixed frass enhanced wheat phosphorus levels.
- Taxon
- spring wheatTriticum aestivumt0
- Treatment
- no-heat mixed frasse0
- Outcome
- phosphorus levelse0
- Direction
- enhancede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“spring wheat”
e0“no-heat mixed frass enhanced phosphorus levels”
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- negative
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See all 131 papers →Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.