Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41851050›Full record

ArticleJournal of economic entomology2026

Potential use of mealworm frass as soil amendment and pest management tool in circular economy.

Luca Maria Girgenti, Marco Di Domenico, Rania Rachdi, Alessia Farina, Giuseppe Eros Massimino Cocuzza, Emanuele La Bella, Ferdinando Fragalà, Andrea Baglieri, Carmelo Rapisarda, Pompeo Suma

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In one paragraph

Article in Journal of economic entomology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Luca Maria GirgentiDepartment of Agriculture, Food and Environment, Applied Entomology Division, University of Catania, Catania, Italy.ORCID 0009-0006-4348-6655
Marco Di DomenicoDepartment of Agriculture, Food and Environment, Applied Entomology Division, University of Catania, Catania, Italy.ORCID 0009-0007-2171-9814
Rania RachdiDepartment of Agriculture, Food and Environment, Applied Entomology Division, University of Catania, Catania, Italy.ORCID 0009-0002-4038-0848
Alessia FarinaDepartment of Agriculture, Food and Environment, Applied Entomology Division, University of Catania, Catania, Italy.ORCID 0000-0003-4778-2321
Giuseppe Eros Massimino CocuzzaDepartment of Agriculture, Food and Environment, Applied Entomology Division, University of Catania, Catania, Italy.
Emanuele La BellaDepartment of Agriculture, Food and Environment, Agricultural Chemistry and Microbiology Division, University of Catania, Catania, Italy.
Ferdinando FragalàDepartment of Agriculture, Food and Environment, Agricultural Chemistry and Microbiology Division, University of Catania, Catania, Italy.
Andrea BaglieriDepartment of Agriculture, Food and Environment, Agricultural Chemistry and Microbiology Division, University of Catania, Catania, Italy.
Carmelo RapisardaDepartment of Agriculture, Food and Environment, Applied Entomology Division, University of Catania, Catania, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-0824-9797
Pompeo SumaDepartment of Agriculture, Food and Environment, Applied Entomology Division, University of Catania, Catania, Italy.

Funding

European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Program 101000570European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Program (project VIRTIGATION) 101000570
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The global increase in human population is driving a growing demand for food and encouraging the exploration of alternative resources, including edible insects. The insect farming sector is expanding rapidly for both human consumption and animal feed, and one of its main byproducts is insect excreta, known as frass. This material has potential use as an organic soil amendment within a circular economy framework and may also influence pest population dynamics. This study investigated the effects of frass produced by Tenebrio molitor (Linnaeus) on plant growth and on the population density of the whitefly Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius). Frass was characterized for its physicochemical properties and applied at 3 doses to the growing substrate of tomato, sweet pepper and eggplant plants. Morphological and physiological traits such as plant height, number of leaves, leaf area, chlorophyll content, and plant biomass were evaluated. In addition, semi-field trials were conducted on artificially infested plants to assess general trends in whitefly population density in relation to the presence of frass. Overall, the use of frass as a soil amendment improved plant growth parameters across all tested species. The presence and dose of frass also influenced the general pattern of whitefly population density, with responses varying according to both host plant and amendment level.

Indexed as

FecesHemipteraInsect ControlPest Control, BiologicalTenebrioAnimalsPopulation DensitySoilSolanum lycopersicumSolanum melongenaSoilinsect frasspest managementplant growthsoil amendment

Identifiers

PMID41851050
PMCPMC13268529

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.