The Effect of Cricket (Orthoptera: Gryllidae) Frass on the Growth of Leafy Vegetables

Abstract

The awareness, demand, and usage of organic resources in farming are escalating, particularly in the application of pest control and fertilisers. Organic fertilisers are usually obtained from animals and plants, and this study is focused on cricket frass. A field trial was conducted to determine the effect of cricket frass as an organic fertiliser on the growth of leafy vegetables. Three fertiliser setups (cricket frass, NPK [15-15-15], and chicken dung) and one control (without fertiliser) were used. These fertilisers were tested on three leafy vegetables; green spinach, green mustard, and water spinach. The parameters observed and recorded were plant height (cm), number of leaves, and total yield (g). The data were analysed using Minitab 17.0. There was a significant difference (P ≤ 0.05) in plant height between vegetables fertilised with cricket frass (26.29 cm) and control (14.82 cm). For the number of leaves parameter, a significant difference (P ≤ 0.05) between vegetables fertilised with cricket frass (11.51 leaves) and control (9.77 leaves) was observed. Similarly, the yield between vegetables fertilised with cricket frass (134.55 g/pot) and control (104.19 g/pot) was also significantly different (P ≤ 0.05). Therefore, cricket frass has the potential as an alternative organic fertiliser source that could reduce the dependency on chemical fertiliser to increase agricultural yields and production.

Full text

*Corresponding author’s e-mail: nurul_izza236@yahoo.com
ASM Sc. J., 14, Special Issue 1, 2021 for ICSTSS2018, 175-181
The Effect of Cricket (Orthoptera: Gryllidae)
Frass on the Growth of Leafy Vegetables
Nurul Izza Bukari1,5*, Idris Abd. Ghani1, Muzamil Mustaffa2, Azian Harun1, Harris A. Abdullah3,
Halimatul Sa’adiah Abdullah4, Syazwani Basir1, Ruslan Md Yusop1 and Mohd Fauzi Mohd Muzamil1
1School of Environmental & Natural Resource Sciences, Faculty of Science & Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan
Malaysia, Bangi
2School of Science (Biology), Faculty of Applied Sciences, Universiti Teknologi MARA Cawangan Pahang, Kampus
Jengka, Pahang, Malaysia
3Global Fresh Agro (M) Sdn Bhd, 235, Taman Tun Sambanthan, 31100 Sungai Siput (U), Perak Darul Ridzuan
4Department of Land Management, Faculty of Agriculture, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
5Department of Agriculture, Putrajaya, Malaysia
The awareness, demand, and usage of organic resources in farming are escalating, particularly in the
application of pest control and fertilisers. Organic fertilisers are usually obtained from animals and
plants, and this study is focused on cricket frass. A field trial was conducted to determine the effect of
cricket frass as an organic fertiliser on the growth of leafy vegetables. Three fertiliser set-ups (cricket frass,
NPK [15-15-15], and chicken dung) and one control (without fertiliser) were used. These fertilisers were
tested on three leafy vegetables; green spinach, green mustard, and water spinach. The parameters
observed and recorded were plant height (cm), number of leaves, and total yield (g). The data were
analysed using Minitab 17.0. There was a significant difference (P ≤ 0.05) in plant height between
vegetables fertilised with cricket frass (26.29 cm) and control (14.82 cm). For the number of leaves
parameter, a significant difference (P ≤ 0.05) between vegetables fertilised with cricket frass (11.51 leaves)
and control (9.77 leaves) was observed. Similarly, the yield between vegetables fertilised with cricket frass
(134.55 g/pot) and control (104.19 g/pot) was also significantly different (P ≤ 0.05). Therefore, cricket
frass has the potential as an alternative organic fertiliser source that could reduce the dependency on
chemical fertiliser to increase agricultural yields and production.
Keywords: cricket frass; leafy vegetables; organic fertiliser
I.
INTR
ODUCTION
A more vigorous and systematic effort on all relevant parties is
necessary to promote agriculture (FAO, 2009). Leafy vegetable
cultivation is the most important crop to small-scale farmers in
Malaysia. Therefore, it is crucial to maintain low production
cost for sustainable income. Furthermore, vegetable
production needs to be enhanced to reduce the dependence on
imported vegetables by improving productivity and extending
the production areas for vegetables and improving post-harvest
methods, marketing logistics facilities, and strengthening
organic vegetable market (MOA, 2011). Other than that, the
price of organic food such as organic leafy vegetables is
much higher compared to the non-organic due to the
increment of organic food awareness. Malaysia government
encouraged farmers to create new income to fulfil demands
with this new trend by optimising the use of natural wastes
(Fesol, 2013).
Crickets (Gryllus bimaculatus) demonstrated great
potential for insect farming purposes, where they are
usually utilised as an alternative diet for the growth of
catfish (Taufek et al., 2013). However, its extensive use in
catfish farming generated a lot of frass (waste from
crickets). According to Lovett et al. (2O02), frass has more

ASM Science Journal, Volume 14, Special Issue 1, 2021 for ICSTSS2018
176
carbon (C) compared to leaves litter. The deposition of frass
may affect the process of decomposition and nutrients in the
soil (Weisser & Siemann, 2O04) besides stimulating microbial
growth (Frost & Hunter, 2004), increase the porosity of s0il
(Lovett & Ruesink, 1995), and improve soil dec0mposition
(Zimmer & Topp, 2002).
All plants use nitrogen (N) in the form of NO3- and NH4+. It is
an essential element for plant development in improving crop
yield and quality and plays a vital role in plant biochemistry and
physiology (Leghari et al., 2016).
By 2020, the Department of Agriculture Malaysia is targeting
an increase of 242 farms with ‘myOrganic’ Certificates (DOA
2016). Therefore, this experiment was conducted to investigate
the p0tential 0f cricket frass as an alternative organic fertiliser
for the growth of green mustard, green spinach, and water
spinach in a glasshouse.
II.
MATERIALS AND METHOD
A. Field Details
The experiment that was carried 0ut in a glasshouse at the
Rumah Tumbuhan Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM),
Bangi Selangor assessed two factors, i.e. fertilisers and leafy
vegetables. N1 (chicken dung), N2 (cricket frass), and N3 (NPK
[15:15:15] compound fertiliser) were applied on three leafy
vegetables grown on 2:1:1 (topsoil: organic: sand) soil. The
chemical properties of the soil are presented in Table 1. A
control treatment, N0 (without fertilisers) was included. The
leafy vegetables evaluated were V1 (green mustard), V2 (green
spinach), and V3 (water spinach). There were altogether 12
treatments. The treatments were arranged in a randomised
complete block design (RCBD) with four replicates, as shown
in Figure 1.
Table 1. Chemical properties of soil
The organic fertiliser was applied a week before
sowing/transplanting. The nutrients contents are as listed
in Table 2. Green mustard was transplanted to the field
plots from the nursery tray 12 days after sowing (DAS),
green spinach 10 DAS, while the spinach was sown directly.
The different DAS values were due to the difference in the
germination period. The number of plants needed was
three seedlings for each pot, with the plot size used of 4 m 
6 m with pots distance 25 cm  25 cm to give 48 pots/area.
Figure 1. Layout of the experiment. Note N1, N2, N3, N0,
V1, V2, V3 were chicken dung, cricket frass, NPK
(15:15:15), green mustard, green spinach, water spinach,
respectively and R= Replications
The compound fertiliser (15:15:15) was applied at 20
g/pot in two split applications in the first week and the third
week after transplanting/sowing. All compound fertilisers
were applied on the surface and slightly covered with soil to
incorporate the fertilisers with the soil. The application of
phosphorus and potassium were based on the
recommended rates given by the suppliers. All crops were
harvested in the fourth week after planting. Typical
agronomic practices were followed for crop management
and pest control (DOA, 2006).
Table 2. Nutrient nitrogen content of organic fertiliser
Source of
fertiliser
(%)
Nitrogen
(N)
*Nitrogen
(N) g/
leafy
vegetables
Fertilisers
(g)/ leafy
vegetables
Chicken
Dung
2.08
3
150
Cricket frass
3.73
3
75
NPK
(15:15:15)
15.16
3
20
* Amat (2015)
Soil properties
Values
N, %
0.32
P, µg g-1
2.44
K, µg g-1
1574
CEC, cmol kg-1
6.39
Total C, %
3.37
pH value
6.21

ASM Science Journal, Volume 14, Special Issue 1, 2021 for ICSTSS2018
177
B. Data Recording
Plant height was measured on 24 DAS for green mustard and
22 DAS for green spinach and water spinach (Lim & Vimala,
2012). The number of leaves was counted, and fresh yield at
harvest was recorded for all the vegetables.
Table 3. Mean total height of vegetables in the fourth week
when treated with different types of fertilisers
Vegetables
Fertilisers
Chicken
dung
Cricket
frass
NPK
Control
Mean total height vegetables(cm)
Green
mustard
Bab
12.72±0.97
Ba
14.00±0.81
Ba
15.00±2.10
Bb
8.67±0.38
Water
Spinach
Aa
45.43±2.52
Aa
47.00±1.94
Aa
47.04±0.79
Ab
26.84±0.71
Green
Spinach
Ba
22.81±0.35
Ba
17.60±4.03
Ba
19.42±3.12
Bb
8.90±0.13
Means by column with the same capital letter are not significantly
different according to Tukey’s test at p ≤ 0.o5 between vegetables.
Means by row with same lowercase letter are not significantly different
acc0rding to Tukey’s test at p ≤ 0.o5 between fertilisers. Means with
the same capital letter and lowercase letter are not significantly
different according to Tukey’s test at p ≤ 0.o5 between vegetables and
fertilisers.
C. Chemical Analysis and Proximate
Analyses of soil chemical properties for all treatments included
pH measured in a 1:2 ratio (soil: distilled water) slurry using
Schott glass electrode pH meter, CEC by leaching with 1 N
ammonium acetate buffer (adjusted to pH 7.0), total C
percentage by combustion technique, and nutrient (N, P, and
K) availability. A total of 30 g of leaf samples was used for each
treatment to analyse the concentration of nitrogen and protein
content in leaves. Data obtained were compared with the
Malaysian Food Act (2004) to identify the maximum
permissible rate for metal contamination in particular food.
The heavy metals analysed were arsenic (As), mercury (Hg),
cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), and antimony (Sb).
D. Statistical Analysis
Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to analyse the data to
detect significant differences. The data were analysed using
Minitab 17.0 for ANOVA and post hoc Tukey test.
III.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
A. Plant Height
Table 3 shows the total height of vegetables treated with
different fertilisers in the fourth week. There was no significant
difference in the height of all vegetables when treated with
different fertilisers. However, water spinach showed
significant differences with green mustard and green
spinach when treated with cricket frass. According to
Tildale and Nelson (1981), the growth equation was
associated with the supply of plant nutrients. Organic
fertiliser increased plant growth and root nutrients
absorption ability that affected the plant height (Rahmah &
Izzati, 2014).
B. Number of Leaves
Table 4 shows the mean of the total number of leaves of all
vegetables in the fourth week upon treatment with different
types of fertilisers. Green mustard treated with cricket frass
showed significant difference with NPK fertilisers
treatment, but no significant difference was detected in the
chicken dung and control treatment. However, there was no
significant difference in the number of leaves of water
spinach in all treatments. On the contrary, no significant
difference was observed in green spinach treated with
cricket frass in the NPK fertiliser treatment and control, but
a significant difference was recorded in the chicken dung
treatment. Leaf growth is substantial in plants because this
process will determine the surface area of the leaf that
serves as a light absorber for the photosynthesis process.
Photosynthesis will determine the amount of dry matter
that can be supplied for the growth of the tree (Masri &
B0ote, 1987). Some studies have found that the amount of
leaf for legume is the highest in treatments using organic
fertilisers (Fatahi et al., 2014).
Table 4. Mean number of total leaves of vegetables treated
with different types of fertilisers at the fourth week
Means by column with the same capital letter are not significantly
different according to Tukey’s test at p ≤ 0.o5 between vegetables.
Means by row with same lowercase letter are not significantly
different acc0rding to Tukey’s test at p ≤ 0.o5 between fertilisers.
Means with the same capital letter and lowercase letter are not
significantly different according to Tukey’s test at p ≤ 0.o5 between
vegetables and fertilisers.
Vegetables
Fertilisers
Chicken
dung
Cricket
frass
NPK
Control
Number of total leaves
Green
mustard
Bb
7.31±0.16
Bb
7.08±0.13
Ca
9.10±0.48
Bb
6.05±0.42
Water
Spinach
Aa
15.65±1.32
Aa
15.34±1.29
Aa
15.04±0.02
Aa
12.63±0.79
Green
Spinach
Aa
14.34±0.39
Ab
12.11±0.76
Bb
12.06±0.36
Bb
10.63±0.27

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178
C. Yield
Table 5 shows the mean total yield of all the vegetables after
harvest. Green mustard and green spinach indicated
significantly different yield between the control and the
treatment with fertilisers, while water spinach treated with
cricket frass had a significant difference in yield in the NPK
fertiliser and the control treatment. A significant difference in
total yield was recorded in all vegetables treated with cricket
frass. However, the results were influenced by different
environment and agricultural practices (Roos et al., 2018). The
supply of N and weed control may be the two most important
barrier factors in the production of organic crops (Askegaard et
al., 2011).
Table 5. Mean total yield of vegetables after harvest when
treated with different fertilisers
Means by column with the same capital letter are not significantly
different according to Tukey’s test at p ≤ 0.o5 between vegetables.
Means by row with same lowercase letter are not significantly different
acc0rding to Tukey’s test at p ≤ 0.o5 between fertilisers. Means with
the same capital letter and lowercase letter are not significantly
different according to Tukey’s test at p ≤ 0.o5 between vegetables and
fertilisers.
D. Nitrogen and Vegetable Protein Content by Type of
Fertiliser Source
The determination of N and protein contents of all vegetables
are shown in Table 6. Green mustard has the highest N (0.37
g/100 g) and protein content (2.31 g/100 g) when treated with
NPK fertiliser while water spinach had the highest N (0.37
g/100 g) and protein content (2.23 g/100 g) when treated with
cricket frass. However, green spinach has the same highest N
(0.36 g/100 g) and protein content (2.28 g/100 g) when treated
with cricket frass and NPK fertiliser. The element N provides
rapid early growth, increases the growth of leafy vegetables,
improves protein content of food crops, and promotes the
consumption and use of other nutrients including potassium
and phosphorus (Bloom, 2015). As observed, the cricket frass
provided the N element and affected the protein content in
leafy vegetables.
Additionally, waste from insects had the most substantial
contribution to the soil nutrient cycle with micronutrient
storage through the recycling process (Chen & Forschler,
2016).
Table 6. The content of N and protein found in different
vegetables after harvest when treated difference fertilisers
Vegetables
Fertilisers
Nitrogen,
g/100g
Protein,
g/100g
Green Mustard
Chicken Dung
0.29
1.79
Green Mustard
Cricket Frass
0.33
2.05
Green Mustard
NPK
0.37
2.31
Green Mustard
Control
0.26
1.63
Water Spinach
Chicken Dung
0.32
2.00
Water Spinach
Cricket Frass
0.37
2.32
Water Spinach
NPK
0.33
2.05
Water Spinach
Control
0.28
1.75
Green Spinach
Chicken Dung
0.34
2.15
Green Spinach
Cricket Frass
0.36
2.28
Green Spinach
NPK
0.36
2.28
Green Spinach
Control
0.35
2.21
E. Heavy Metal Content in Vegetables by Type of
Fertilisers
Table 7 shows heavy metals content in the vegetables. The
overall results showed that As, Hg, Cd, Pb, and Sb contents
are at the safe level following the Food Act 1983. The
contents of heavy metal are dependent on the type of
vegetables. Green mustard showed the highest content of
Pb (0.109 mg/kg). According to Darmono (2001), green
mustard has a high absorption of heavy metals. Plant parts
such as roots, leaves, and stems of vegetables that have been
exposed to Pb contamination will not be easily removed
through washing techniques, as it has accumulated in that
particular part (Itanna, 2002). Additionally, green
mustard, green spinach, and water spinach were
contaminated with Pb when they were planted near
industrial areas and roads (Yusuf et al., 2016). In this study,
water spinach had the highest As (0.040 mg/kg) and Cd
content (0.027 mg/kg) when treated with chicken dung.
Green mustard had the highest Pb content (0.109 mg/kg)
when treated with chicken dung, whereas green spinach
had the highest Sb content (0.082 mg/kg) when treated
with NPK fertiliser. However, there was no Hg detected in
all vegetables.
Vegetables
Fertilisers
Chicken
dung
Cricket
frass
NPK
Control
Mean total yield
Green
mustard
Ba
103.54±0.02
Ca
101.65± 0.91
Ca
121.54±0.02
Ab
72.7±10.2
Water
Spinach
Aa
160.50±7.47
Aa
164.5±4.11
Bb
133.5±0.04
Ab
132.0±0.06
Green
Spinach
Aa
154.00±0.09
Ba
137.5±0.02
Aa
156.0±0.02
Bb
107.9±9.96

ASM Science Journal, Volume 14, Special Issue 1, 2021 for ICSTSS2018
179
When treated with cricket frass, water spinach had the
highest As (0.036 mg/kg) content, while green mustard had the
highest Cd content (0.009 mg/kg) and green spinach in Sb
content (0.016 mg/kg). Water spinach treated with cricket frass
also had the highest Pb compared to the green spinach and
green mustard. This could be due to the water spinach
absorbing the existing Pb metal in the soil or from the cricket
frass itself. According to Chibuike and Obiora (2014), heavy
metals such as Pb in the soil do not have any beneficial effects
on the organisms; thus, considered detrimental to both plants
and animals. Additionally, there was also a study on Pb
concentrations on insect repellents, where Pb was detected on
Reticulitermes residues (Chen & Forschler, 2016). The waste of
the skeleton may have high Pb content because the cricket
could bind to the toxic content obtained from plants during the
digestive process (Smirle & Isman, 1992). Hence, the quality of
food sources for cricket farming significantly affect the result of
cyclic waste as organic fertiliser to increase crop growth and
ultimately, the yield quality (Kagata & Ohgushi, 2012).
Table 7. The heavy metal content found in different Vegetables
of Fertilisers sources in the fourth week after planting in a pot
Vegetables
Fertilisers
Arsenic
(As)
Mercury
(Hg)
Cadmium
(Cd)
Lead
(Pb)
Antimony
(Sb)
mg/kg
Green
Mustard
Chicken
Dung
0.033
N.D
(<0.001)
0.012
0.109
0.007
Green
Mustard
Cricket
Frass
0.026
N.D
(<0.001)
0.009
0.024
0.007
Green
Mustard
NPK
0.033
N.D
(<0.001)
0.009
0.056
0.009
Green
Mustard
Control
0.039
N.D
(<0.001)
0.011
0.039
0.008
Water
Spinach
Chicken
Dung
0.040
N.D
(<0.001)
0.027
0.018
0.006
Water
Spinach
Cricket
Frass
0.036
N.D
(<0.001)
0.003
0.048
0.009
Water
Spinach
NPK
0.034
N.D
(<0.001)
0.008
0.029
0.005
Water
Spinach
Control
0.032
N.D
(<0.001)
0.008
0.027
0.005
Green
Spinach
Chicken
Dung
0.015
N.D
(<0.001)
0.007
0.012
0.006
Green
Spinach
Cricket
Frass
0.013
N.D
(<0.001)
0.007
0.021
0.016
Green
Spinach
NPK
0.015
N.D (<0.001)
0.015
N.D
(<0.001)
0.082
Green
Spinach
Control
0.019
N.D
(<0.001)
0.005
0.008
0.005
Maximum
allowable rate
(Food Act 1983)
1
0.05
1
2
1
Source : Malaysian Food Act. (2004)
IV.
CONCLUSION
Cricket frass exhibited a good waste product effect on green
mustard, green spinach, and water spinach in terms of
height, the number of leaves, and yield. However, the effect
of cricket frass on plant growth indicated significant
differences between the mean height of the vegetables, the
number of leaves, and the yield of all vegetables versus the
NPK and chicken manure fertilisers. The nutritional
content results of nitrogen and protein in all vegetables
denoted high and almost the same level of cricket frass
fertiliser. This shows that cricket frass has sufficient
nutrient content for vegetable growing needs. High
awareness to ensure that the food products are free from
pesticides, chemical residues and heavy metals are also the
factors of organic agriculture. The results of the presence of
heavy metals in green mustard and green spinach are given
as follows: arsenic> lead> cadmium> antimony> mercury,
whereas in water spinach is given as follows: lead> arsenic>
antimony> cadmium> mercury. The accumulation of each
heavy metal in the tested vegetables varied and lead was
found to be the highest in water spinach fertiliser with
cricket frass. This indicated that the intake of certain heavy
metals is dependent on the type of vegetable, and may not
be suitable in the water spinach. However, the amount of
heavy metal absorbed in all the tested vegetables is below
the permitted maximum permissible level. Therefore, it can
be deduced that the utilisation of waste as a source of
organic fertiliser can promote vegetable growth. In
addition, it encourages farmers to adopt a sustainable
farming concept with proper waste management and
practices of sustainable agricultural techniques that protect
the environment and public health.
V.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors would like to acknowledge Miss Mardhati
Hazirah Hassan from the Department of Land
Management, Faculty of Agriculture, Universiti Putra
Malaysia for her assistance throughout this research.

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