Rearing of black soldier fly larvae (Hermetia illucens) as a tool for managing agricultural byproducts

Abstract Black soldier fly larvae (BSFLs) are used for recycling organic waste. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of cassava, yam and sweet potato peels on BSFL production. Four different treatments were performed in triplicate in a completely random block consisting of soy bran (TSB), cassava peel (TCP), yam peel (TYP) and sweet potato peel (TPP). A density of 1 larva/g of substrate was used with a uniform ratio of 100 mg/larva/day. Larval growth was 10 days, and growth monitoring was carried out every 2 days. The daily weight gain (DWG) ranged from 2.19 ± 0.09 g/d (TYP) to 4.53 ± 0.02 g/d (TSB). The production of these fungi ranged from 43.90 ± 1.87 g/kg of substrate (TYP) to 90.56 ± 0.54 g/kg of substrate (TSB). The degradation rate ranged from 36.00 ± 2.30% (TYP) to 65.00 ± 2.88% (TSB), and the survival rate ranged from 77.66 ± 1.45% (TYP) to 99.00 ± 0.28% (TSB). According to the Z correlation test, there was a strong correlation between the organic matter content of the substrates and the DWG (99.1%). It was also observed that phosphorus content was strongly correlated with DWG (92.9%). Regarding the nutritional quality of the larvae, the protein content varied from 33.51 ± 0.94% (TYP) to 40.64 ± 032% (TSB), and the lipid content varied from 26.24 ± 0.35% (TYP) to 30.44 ± 0.18% (TSB). We noticed generally a significant difference (p < 0.05) between the different treatments depending on the parameters. This study revealed that casava, yam and sweet potato peels can be used for BSFL production.