Weeds and agro by-products for sustainable farming of edible field cricket, Gryllus madagascarensis (Orthoptera: Gryllidae).

ABSTRACT: Gryllus madagascarensis (Orthoptera: Gryllidae) is a cricket species that shows promise to mitigate food insecurity and malnutrition. But whether this species will accept low- to no-cost weeds and agro by-products as feed, and how these feeds affect its performance, remains unknown. This study assessed the acceptability of 66 weed species and agro by-products (derived from a single plant species) by adult G. madagascarensis and compared the results to a reference feed (chicken feed). We further examined how the 11 top acceptable single plant products affected growth parameters of G. madagascarensis. The parameters assessed included development, survivorship, body mass and body length and reproductive fitness of the crickets on each of these diets. Finally, the costs of the 11 top accepted

SUBMITTER: Magara HJO 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11698383 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature