Influence of Feed Form on Insect Performance in Agricultural System
A Special Issue of Agriculture (ISSN 2077-0472) belonging to the section "Farm Animal Production".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 September 2026 | Viewed by 220
Editor
Interests: insect breeding; edible insects; beneficial arthropods; integrated pest management; agricultural and green chemistry by-products; frass
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Research on modern sustainable agricultural systems is increasingly focused on farmed insects, both for their direct effects (natural enemies, waste bioconverters, etc.) and for their products (feed, fertilizers, chitin, etc.). Moreover, their production is considered an agricultural activity in some countries. The ability of farmed insects to feed on agri-food waste and by-products represents a promising means to promote circular economy principles and mitigate the ecological impact of farming. This environmentally friendly approach can improve farm competitiveness, diversify feed sources, and reduce competition between feed and food for human consumption. However, feed significantly influences the performance of farmed insects, affecting farming efficiency and the quality of final products. In this context, the “feed form” is not limited to its physical characteristics, but includes the processes and protocols aimed at optimizing diets.
This Special Issue aims to present and disseminate the latest advances in the influence of feed form on insect performance and product quality, as well as reviews, on the following topics:
- Physical and/or chemical pretreatment of the feed;
- Feed size and shape;
- Nutritional and non-nutritional additives;
- Probiotic microorganisms;
- Influence of feed on tolerance to stress and disease;
- Alternative diets and prey in the production of beneficial arthropods.
We welcome the submission of papers on these topics and look forward to receiving your valuable contributions.
Dr. Ferdinando Baldacchino
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Agriculture is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- insect farming
- beneficial arthropods
- Tenebrio molitor
- Hermetia illucens
- innovative diets
- additives
- probiotics
- pretreatment
- byproducts
- frass
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