[{
  "type": "article-journal",
  "title": "COMPARATIVE EFFICACY OF BLACK SOLDIER FLY (Hermetia illucens) FRASS DERIVED FROM ANIMAL-BASED AND PLANT-BASED WASTES ON NITRIFICATION RATE AND NITRATE UPTAKE IN Amaranthus dubius",
  "author": [
    {
      "family": "ULLAH",
      "given": ""
    },
    {
      "family": "Khair",
      "given": ""
    },
    {
      "family": "Khan",
      "given": ""
    },
    {
      "family": "Badshah",
      "given": ""
    },
    {
      "family": "Ibáñez-Arancibia",
      "given": ""
    },
    {
      "family": "Khan",
      "given": ""
    },
    {
      "family": "Rehman",
      "given": ""
    },
    {
      "family": "Ríos-Escalante",
      "given": ""
    },
    {
      "family": "Attaullah",
      "given": ""
    },
    {
      "family": "Badshah",
      "given": ""
    }
  ],
  "issued": {
    "date-parts": [[2026]]
  },
  "container-title": "Journal of Animal and Plant Sciences",
  "ISSN": "1018-7081",
  "volume": "36",
  "issue": "1",
  "page": "104-115",
  "DOI": "https://doi.org/10.36899/JAPS.2026.1.0009",
  "abstract": "<p>Soil fertility plays pivotal role in adopting intensive agricultural approaches which are becoming popular and essential to feed the ever-increasing population with limited available resources.&nbsp;<span lang=\"EN-MY\">The use of organic fertilizers offers a sustainable approach by improving soil fertility and reducing dependence on chemical fertilizers.&nbsp;</span>We investigated the production level of frass, an organic fertilizer, by Black Soldier Fly (BSF) when fed with animal and plant-based substrates.<span lang=\"EN-MY\">While being c</span><span lang=\"EN-MY\">ommercial, plant-based compost fertilizer was used as a standard positive control and was labelled as CPC.</span><span lang=\"EN-MY\">Plant based wastes reduce the decomposition rate for Organic Nitrogen (ON) and ON-NH<sub>4</sub><sup>+</sup>&nbsp;when used as a feeding substrate for black soldier fly larvae (BSFL). On the other hand, it enhances the decomposition rate for total crude fibre (TCF), NH<sub>4</sub><sup>+</sup>-NO<sub>3</sub><sup>-</sup>&nbsp;and NO<sub>3</sub><sup>-</sup>&nbsp;uptake rate. Contrary to this, we observed highest decomposition rate for ON and ON-NH<sub>4</sub><sup>+</sup>&nbsp;and lowest decomposition rate for TCF and NH<sub>4</sub><sup>+</sup>-NO<sub>3</sub><sup>-</sup>&nbsp;along lowest NO<sub>3</sub><sup>-</sup>&nbsp;uptake rate by BSFL using animal-based wastes as feeding substrate. Frass produced by black soldier fly when fed with plant-based substrate (BSFFP) recorded a balanced uptake ratio for NH<sub>4</sub><sup>+</sup>:NO<sub>3</sub><sup>-</sup>&nbsp;(33:37), whereas Black soldier fly frass based on animal-feeding (BSFFA) recorded unbalanced uptake ratio for NH<sub>4</sub><sup>+</sup>:NO<sub>3</sub><sup>-</sup>&nbsp;(40:08). Commercial plant-based compost fertilizer (CPC) used as the positive control, recorded higher NH<sub>4</sub><sup>+</sup>&nbsp;uptake (25) compared to NO<sub>3</sub><sup>-</sup>&nbsp;uptake (17). Furthermore, the use of CPC showed the lowest rate of ON-NH<sub>4</sub><sup>+</sup>&nbsp;(0.36 &plusmn; 0.002) as well as lower NH<sub>4</sub><sup>+</sup>-NO<sub>3</sub><sup>-</sup>&nbsp;rate (0.60 &plusmn; 0.003) compared to BSFFP. This study highlighted the importance of both ON form and TCF decomposition rates as key determinants for effective nitrification (NH<sub>4</sub><sup>+</sup>-NO<sub>3</sub><sup>-</sup>) and NO<sub>3</sub><sup>-</sup>&nbsp;uptake of BSFF frass-based fertilizer.</span></p>",
  "publisher": "Pakistan Agricultural Scientists Forum",
  "URL": "https://thejaps.org.pk/AbstractView.aspx?mid=2025-JAPS-93"
}]