Insect Frass Stimulates Plant Immune Defense Genes

Frass from yellow mealworm (Tenebrio molitor) as plant fertilizer and defense priming agent
Biocatalysis and Agricultural Biotechnology
October 2023
Link Here

      If you have been following TeaLAB for the past decade you know we are big on frass.  It's a great source of nutrition, microbes, and plant stimulating compounds.  And just in time for the spring season, there is some new research out that further indicates what we already know, frass is good stuff.
       A group of researchers out of Norway wanted to know if frass (from the humble meal worm, Tenebrio molitor, the same frass we supply at TeaLAB) would induce plant immune defenses.  To do this they grew the model research plant, Arabidopsis thaliana, with and without the addition of insect frass.  They then infected the plants with Grey Mold, Botrytis cinerea.  Then they collected RNA from the plants (which is the temporary copy of DNA that is made when genes are turned on in order to make the proteins associated with that section of DNA).  Because Arabidopsis has been researched so extensively, the genes that are used for immune defense are well known.  The researchers simply (well, maybe simple isn't the word) looked to see if the RNA that was present in the frass-fertilized matched up with the known immune defense DNA segments. 
        The researchers found that the application of frass increased expression of the investigated genes compared to the control treatments.  Furthermore, plants that were also inoculated with the disease causing Botrytis, showed even more elevated gene expression.  This indicates that the application of insect frass primes the plant for high immune response when disease is actually present.  
           This is yet another study that shows us these natural, organic, fertilizers have an important place in the agriculture and gardening world.  Oh yeah, the study also showed that frass contains and contributes a good amount of fertilizing nutrition as well.  Check out the link above to learn more.  TeaLAB, better gardening through biology! 

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