Search Results (24)

The Structural Maintenance of Chromosomes complex 5/6 (SMC-5/6) safeguards genome stability by coordinating DNA replication, repair, and chromosome organization. Although prior studies have advanced understanding of SMC-6, a domain-resolved view of its functions in vivo, particularly in multicellular organisms, remains incomplete. Because the non-SMC subunit NSE-1 localizes at the SMC-5/6 head interface and reflects complex integrity, we used NSE-1::GFP nuclear localization as a visual readout in an ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS)-based forward genetic screen in Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans). We identified three new smc-6 alleles—smc-6(wsh34), smc-6(wsh35), and smc-6(wsh36) through single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) mapping and whole-genome sequencing. smc-6(wsh34) and smc-6(wsh35) affect the N-terminal ATPase domain, whereas smc-6(wsh36) lies in the hinge region. ATPase-domain mutants exhibited reduced fertility, decreased progeny viability, hypersensitivity to methyl methanesulfonate and cisplatin, and strong induction of the pro-apoptotic genes egl-1 and ced-13. In contrast, the hinge mutant exhibited moderate fertility defects and partial sensitivity to DNA damage reagents. Structural modeling suggests that the R103 truncation disrupts the SMC-5/6 head interface, whereas the P514L substitution alters hinge dynamics. Together, these findings reveal a functional hierarchy in SMC-6, with the ATPase domain governing repair-associated energy-dependent processes and the hinge maintaining structural integrity. Full article

Alfalfa cultivation is an effective way to achieve soil improvement while utilizing saline soils. Irrigation and drainage, as physical measures to leach salts, can effectively reduce the soil salt content, while application of organic fertilizer fermented with an effective microorganism (EM) may further enhance the improvement effect of saline–alkaline soil by improving soil fertility and microbial community structure. However, there is still a lack of systematic assessment on the effects of applying these three measures on the saline soil–plant system. In this study, we used alfalfa as the plant material and set three water depths of 8 mm (IR1), 16 mm (IR2), and 24 mm (IR3) under the condition of irrigating every 10 days with remote-controlled timed and quantitative irrigation, which is the most acceptable to farmers in the era of smart agriculture. EM organic fertilizer dosage was designed as 0 kg/ha (CK), 1500 kg/ha (OF1), 3000 kg/ha (OF2), 4500 kg/ha (OF3), and 6000 kg/ha (OF4). The multiple-crop alfalfa yield, quality (crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), and acid detergent fiber (ADF)), and soil electrical conductivity (EC) were observed. The results showed that after the application of EM organic fertilizer, the soil’s EC value of fertilized treatments was higher than that of CK, but this difference became smaller with the prolongation of alfalfa’s growing period, implying that EM organic fertilizer could absorb more soil salts by promoting alfalfa’s growth; the water depth was obviously negatively correlated with the soil’s EC value, demonstrating that the increase in the water depth had a stronger ability to reduce the soil salts. By the end of the experiment, the soil’s EC values were reduced by 21.4–43.7% for the treatments. The alfalfa yield was significantly increased by EM organic fertilizer application, and the three alfalfa yields were increased by 63.3–69.1%, 65.4–83.6%, and 52.6–56.2%, respectively, when fertilizer application was elevated from CK to OF4. The highest alfalfa yields were all found at IR2OF4, reaching 1164.7, 2637.3 and 2519.7 t/ha, corresponding to the first, second, and third alfalfa crops, respectively. The analysis of alfalfa quality indexes revealed that higher CP values were found in the IR2 treatments, and increasing fertilizer application from OF1–OF4 resulted in an increase in CP values by 2.4–9.1%, 1.5–7.4%, and 0.8–6.7% for the three alfalfa crops. Relatively low NDF and ADF values were observed for alfalfa under IR2 conditions; however, the application of EM organic fertilizer reduced the NDF and ADF values within a certain range. According to the results of the entropy weight evaluation model, IR3OF4, IR3OF2, and IR3OF3 were the top three treatments with the best overall benefits, respectively, with relative closeness values of 0.71, 0.70, and 0.68, in that order, which suggests that the appropriate water depth is 24 mm, while the appropriate EM organic fertilizer dosage is in the range of 3000–6000 kg/ha. There was a pattern observed in our study, in which the treatments with better overall benefits were better distributed at high water depths, which emphasizes the critical role of the irrigation volume in ameliorating saline soils. The conclusions of the study are intended to provide a practical basis for the comprehensive utilization and sustainable development of saline soils. Full article

The aim of this study was to establish a green fertilization regime combining microbial fertilizers and livestock manure organic fertilizer for two dominant oat cultivars (Avena sativa L. ‘Baiyan No.7’ and ‘Qingyin No.2’) in alpine ecosystems, providing technical support for sustainable forage production systems in grassland pastoral areas of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The experiment was conducted following the principles of a randomized block design, with five application rates each of effective microbial fertilizer (EM) and compound microbial fertilizer (FH) applied in combination with 18,000 kg·hm⁻² of livestock manure organic fertilizer to systematically analyze their effects on oat agronomic traits, yield quality, and soil health. Key results demonstrated the following: for Avena sativa ‘Baiyan No.7’, effective microbial fertilizer (EM) application at 15.00 kg·hm⁻² significantly increased plant height by 41.29% (p < 0.05), while effective microbial fertilizer (EM) at 18.75 kg·hm⁻² optimized stomatal conductance and the transpiration rate by 73.29% and 46.42%, respectively. For Avena sativa L.‘Qingyin No.2’, compound microbial fertilizer (FH) application at 22.50 kg·hm⁻² enhanced plant height and relative chlorophyll content (SPAD value) of the flag leaf by 50.92% and 47.75%. Yield analysis revealed that compound microbial fertilizer (FH) application at 22.50 kg·hm⁻² increased the fresh forage yield and dry matter yield of ‘Baiyan No.7’ by 34.53% and 38.64%, respectively, with crude protein content reaching 11.02%. Maximum fresh forage yield (38,073.00 kg·hm⁻²) for ‘Qingyin No.2’ was achieved with effective microbial fertilizer (EM) at 11.25 kg·hm⁻², while compound microbial fertilizer (FH) at 22.50 kg·hm⁻² facilitated synergistic accumulation of crude protein (12.57%) and soluble sugars (15.58%). Soil organic carbon increased by 28.85% under compound microbial fertilizer (FH) at 22.50 kg·hm⁻² for ‘Baiyan No.7’, and by 26.21% under effective microbial fertilizer (EM) at 18.75 kg·hm⁻² for ‘Qingyin No.2’. In summary, a cultivar-specific green fertilization system was established: for Avena sativa L. ‘Baiyan No.7’: the application of 18.75 kg·hm⁻² effective microorganisms fertilizer with 18,000 kg·hm⁻² organic manure; for Avena sativa L. ‘Qingyin No.2’: the application of 22.50 kg·hm⁻² compound microbial fertilizer with 18,000 kg·hm⁻² organic manure. This system achieved triple sustainability objectives in alpine oat production: enhancing yield, optimizing quality, and improving soil health. Full article

Residual organic sludge generated from bioenergy facilities (BF-rOS) is often disposed instead of recycled, thus contributing to further environmental pollution. This study explored the resource utilization of BF-rOS using Hermetia illucens larvae (BSFL). When BF-rOS was fed to BSFL for two weeks, the dry weight per individual BSFL was approximately 15% of that of BSFL that were fed food waste (FW). However, the dry weight increased by approximately two-fold in BSFL that were fed effective microorganism (EM)-supplemented BF-rOS containing 60% moisture. However, under both conditions, the BSFL did not mature into pupae. In contrast, the highest dry weight per BSFL was observed with the BF-rOS/FW (50%:50%) mixture, regardless of EM supplementation. Furthermore, the highest bioconversion rate was observed when the BSFL were fed the BF-rOS/FW (50%:50%) mixture, and the frass produced by the BSFL contained fertilizer-appropriate components. In addition, the nutritional components of the BSFL exhibited a nutrient profile suitable for animal feed, except for those fed BF-rOS only. In conclusion, this investigation demonstrates that BF-rOS should be recycled for fertilizer production by mixing it with FW as a BSFL feed, which generates the valuable insect biomass as potential nutrition for animal feeding. Full article

In recent years, monoculture and multi-rotation successional Eucalyptus plantations have given rise to several environmental issues, including the degradation of soil quality and nutrient imbalance, and the conversion of logging sites to multi-rotation Eucalyptus plantations has attracted considerable attention from the scientists involved. However, the effects of different management strategies on soil extracellular enzyme activities (EEAs) and enzyme stoichiometry (ES) in degraded Eucalyptus plantations are not clear. In this study, we investigated the responses and mechanisms of soil physicochemical properties, microbial biomass, carbon, and nitrogen- and phosphorus-acquiring enzyme activities, as well as the microbial resource requirements of Eucalyptus plantations, under different management strategies. The findings revealed that second-rotation (TWE) and third-rotation (THE) continuous plantings of pure Eucalyptus plantations resulted in significant decreases in soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (TN) and effective available phosphorus (AP) contents, while soil nutrient contents increased after the introduction of Manglietia glauca to form mixed forests (EM) with Eucalyptus or pure Manglietia glauca (M). Meanwhile, phosphorus-acquiring enzymes significantly increased with successive rotations of Eucalyptus (TWE and THE), while EEA_C:P and EEA_N:P gradually decreased and phosphorus limitation gradually increased compared to that of a native-species-mixed plantation (CK). After the introduction of Manglietia glauca (EM and M), phosphorus-acquiring enzyme activities showed lower levels and there were significant increases in EEA_C:P and EEA_N:P compared to those of continuous plantings of pure Eucalyptus plantations, which reduced microbial phosphorus demand. Moreover, soil nutrients played a more significant role in altering the EEAs and ES than did microbial biomass (0–10 cm: 72.7% > 53.3%, 10–20 cm: 54.5% > 32.6%). The results showed that EM and M improved soil fertility quality conditions and alleviated soil nutrient phosphorus limitations for soil microorganisms. Therefore, the introduction of Manglietia glauca, either to form mixed forests with Eucalyptus or in rotation with Eucalyptus, can be used as technical means for the conversion of multi-rotation successive Eucalyptus plantations. Full article

Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) is a raw material that can be used as food, feed, bioenergy, and wine; it is also a gramineous crop with drought, salt, waterlogging, and high temperature resistance. However, liquor-making sorghum faces the disadvantages of having a narrow genetic basis, poor resources, and few high-quality varieties. Ethyl methane sulfonate (EMS) is a common alkylating agent that can react with one or more bases to alkylate and cause changes in the molecular structure of DNA, thereby causing mutations. It has a minimum effect on organisms and the highest efficiency. The obtained mutant populations are of great significance for cultivating new plant varieties and enriching plant germplasm resources. Therefore, in this study, ‘Hongyingzi’ a liquor-making sorghum variety, was studied using seeds treated with 0.5% EMS and 415 M3 generation plants were obtained. (1) Investigation and statistical analysis of agronomic traits in mutant libraries showed that in the M3 generation, nine important phenotypic mutant lines were obtained, including plant type, leaf blade, spike, glume, growth period, fertility, plant height, and drought resistance. The variation frequency from high to low was as follows: glume color (75.42%) > spike type (54.70%) > spike shape (47.23%) > chaff coating degree (28%) > plant growth period (23.86%) > plant height (23.61%) > absorption degree (16.14%) > branchiness (10.84%) > leaf color (4.58%) > tillering (2.16%). (2) The PCR sequencing of SbGA2ox3 from 415 sorghum M3 plants revealed that the mutation frequency of SbGA2ox3 was 1/99.02 kb. Eight plants underwent mutations, but only one line experienced missense mutations of different amino acid types, changing Ser/Ala/Val/Leu/Gln/Ser/Pro/Ala to Asn/Thr/Gly/Val/Gln/Ala/Ser. The mutant line also had shorter plant height, reduced glume coating degree, and enhanced drought resistance. The constructions of the sorghum mutant library widened the sorghum germplasm library and provided a method for sorghum breeding with a molecular basis for the functional verification of related genes and the analysis of related regulatory networks. Full article

Improving soil organic carbon (SOC) has been considered as a “win-win way” for ensuring high crop productivity and mitigating chemical N input. Improving SOC can achieve higher wheat yield and simultaneously improve nitrogen (N) productivity (defined as kg grain produced per kg total N input from both indigenous and applied N). Two treatments were tested for improving SOC level. The manure treatment involved applying manure for 6 successive years, and the EM treatment involved adding peat and vermiculite once, both combined with optimized in-season N management. The performance of these two systems were compared with a traditional farming system (Control, where only straw was returned each season). N fertilizer input under all three treatments was optimized by in-season N management and was increased by 90.1% and 48.1% under EM and Manure treatments, respectively, as compared with Control. The average wheat yield for the EM and Manure treatments was 9.1 and 9.2 Mg ha^–1, respectively, across all three years, which was 18.8% and 19.7% higher, respectively, than that of the Control treatment (7.7 Mg ha^–1). The average chemical N application rates for the EM and Manure treatments were 139 and 146 kg ha^–1, which were 24.9% and 21.1% lower than those of the Control treatment, respectively. The N productivity was 15.1% and 14.9% which was higher under Manure and EM treatments than that of the Control treatment. The high yield and N productivity were attributed to improved aboveground dry matter and N uptake by wheat, with optimal soil N supply of the root zone. The higher stem number and weight seen in individual plants with increasing SOC resulted in larger spikes and grains at harvest. Our results determined that increasing SOC combined with optimal N management achieve low chemical N input and higher grain yield by increasing productive stems and grains per spike for improving wheat individual growth. Full article

Mandarin ‘Murcott’ (Citrus reticulata Blanco) trees aged five years that were grafted onto lemon ‘Volkamer’ (Citrus volkameriana) rootstock and grown in sandy soil under a drip irrigation system were used in this study during the growing seasons of 2018 and 2019. Ten different fertilization treatments combining inorganic, organic, and biofertilization in a completely randomized block were performed. The results revealed that fertilizing ‘Murcott’ mandarin trees with 75% of the recommended dose (RD) of nitrogen as inorganic nitrogen (33.5% N) in the form of NH₄NO₃ + 25% of RD as organic nitrogen in the form of chicken manure (3% N) per tree per year without or with a biofertilizer (Effective Microorganisms, EM1) at 150 mL/tree increased the weight, size, pulp, and peels of mandarin fruit, as well as the fruit juice volume, juice volume/fruit, and vitamin C, but reduced the total acidity in both seasons. However, fertilizing ‘Murcott’ mandarin trees with 100% of RD as inorganic nitrogen increased the pulp/fruit ratio, and fertilizing with 25% of RD as inorganic nitrogen + 75% of RD as organic nitrogen + biofertilizer EM1 increased the peel/fruit ratio, peel thickness, and fruit firmness. Fertilizing ‘Murcott’ mandarin trees with 100% organic nitrogen + biofertilizer EM1 increased total soluble solids (TSS) and total sugar contents while producing the lowest nitrate (NO₃) percentage in ‘Murcott’ mandarin fruit compared with trees fertilized with inorganic nitrogen only. The fruit produced by ‘Murcott’ mandarin trees fertilized with 100% of RD as organic nitrogen with or without biofertilizer EM1 contained higher TSS, total carbohydrates, and sugars and lower nitrate percentages than those fertilized with inorganic nitrogen and biofertilizer EM1. This study contributes to reducing the use of inorganic fertilizers by adding a percentage of an organic fertilizer to obtain a healthy product that contains a lower percentage of NO₃, which affects the health of the consumer, and is of high quality and suitable for export. Full article

The study involved a field experiment conducted on two cultivars of chamomile (‘Złoty Łan’ and ‘Mastar’) in the climatic and soil conditions of the central Lublin region (Poland) during the years 2016–2018. The experiment was designed to determine the effects of three foliar biological preparations (growth stimulant Bio-algeen, fertilizer Herbagreen Basic, and Effective Microorganisms applied as EM Farming spray), which were applied once or twice, on the yield and quality of herbal raw material of chamomile grown under organic conditions. Chamomile was grown at different row spacings (40 cm and 30 cm). The biopreparations (in particular Herbagreen Basic) had a positive effect on chamomile yield (about 10–11% in comparison with control treatment) and yield attributing characters (plant height, number of branches, and inflorescences per plant) as well as on the quality parameters. The EM Farming had a minimal influence on the quantity characteristics studied, but it beneficially affected essential oil and chlorophyll content. The biopreparations had a more favorable effect when they were applied twice. The wider row spacing of chamomile (40 cm) promoted higher yields (about 18%) compared to 30 cm. The narrower spacing (30 cm), however, contributed to better quality characteristics of herbal raw material. The study confirmed much higher productivity and quality of the cultivar ‘Złoty Łan’ compared to cv. ‘Mastar’ (about 15%). Significant interactions of experimental factors concerned mainly the formation of the essential oil content in herbal raw material (the most advantageous was the ‘Złoty Łan’ cultivar sown at a row spacing of 30 cm with the use of Herbagreen Basic biopreparation twice). Full article

Increasing climate change, through its impact on the economy, results in measures to reduce its negative effects. In agriculture, the expected positive effects may come from the implementation of practices with high carbon sequestration potential (e.g., straw incorporation). The idea of using straw as an energy feedstock requires an in-depth analysis of the impact of this practice on the organic carbon content of arable soils. Straw incorporation combined with the use of biopreparations can provide an attractive alternative to conventional fertilization and plant protection systems. This study aimed to assess the effect of straw, effective microorganisms preparation, and biostimulant on the physicochemical and biological soil parameters. The analyses included organic carbon, available P, K, and Mg, total and mineral nitrogen content, pH, bulk density, soil penetration resistance, and the number of soil-culturable heterotrophic bacteria, actinobacteria, and fungi determination. It was found that straw and EM addition resulted in the highest SOC content. Statistically lower values of bulk density and soil penetration resistance were also observed after straw incorporation. The results of our research revealed that, while the addition of straw beneficially affects soil quality, the impact of biopreparations application on soil parameters varies depending on the experimental combination used. Full article

The implementation of the sustainable management of the interaction between agriculture and the environment requires an increasingly deep understanding and numerical description of the soil genesis and properties of soils. One of the areas of application of relevant knowledge is digital irrigated agriculture. During the development of such technologies, the traditional methods of soil research can be quite expensive and time consuming. Proximal soil sensing in combination with predictive soil mapping can significantly reduce the complexity of the work. In this study, we used topographic variables and data from the Electromagnetic Induction Meter (EM38-mk) in combination with soil surface hydrological variables to produce cartographic models of the gravimetric soil moisture for a number of depth intervals. For this purpose, in dry steppe zone conditions, a test site was organized. It was located at the border of the parcel containing the irrigated soybean crop, where 50 soil samples were taken at different points alongside electrical conductivity data (EC_a) measured in situ in the field. The modeling of the gravimetric soil moisture was carried out with the stepwise inclusion of independent variables, using methods of ensemble machine learning and spatial cross-validation. The obtained cartographic models showed satisfactory results with the best performance R²_cv 0.59–0.64. The best combination of predictors that provided the best results of the model characteristics for predicting gravimetric soil moisture were geographical variables (buffer zone distances) in combination with the initial variables converted into the principal components. The cartographic models of the gravimetric soil moisture variability obtained this way can be used to solve the problems of managed irrigated agriculture, applying fertilizers at variable rates, thereby optimizing the use of resources by crop producers, which can ultimately contribute to the sustainable management of natural resources. Full article

The purpose of the conducted study was to assess the possibility of using composts made from post-consumer wood containing waste of fibre boards and microbiological inoculums in chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum × grandiflorum Ramat./Kitam.) ‘Jewel Time’ cultivation. Five variants of composts (marked ask, KK, AL, AL + K, EM, EM + K) were prepared, each variant was duplicate. All variants consisted of fibreboard waste (60% of its weight), mixed with mature compost made from fibreboard waste (30%), Protohumovit-biologically active organic fertilizer with the chemical composition of cattle manure (3%), starch, sugar, corn oil (together 7%). A biological inoculum “Activit Las” was added to one half of reactors. “Activit Las” (produced by Atlas Planta S.C, Bydgoszcz) is biological inoculum containing of selected bacteria, actinobacteria and fungi, that is intended to accelerate the composting of lignocellulosic materials, including wood from forest and sawmill. The second part of reactors was implemented by microbiological inoculum (EM) from Greenland Technologia EM (Trzcianki, Poland). A Bio Best (produced by Atlas Planta S.C, Bydgoszcz) formulation of chicken manure was added to some of the reactors containing EM and Activit Las. Compost without any additional microorganisms and microelements was control for experiment. Plant quality depended on the dose of compost used as well as on the type of microbial inoculations used during the composting process. The addition of composts containing the EM microbial inoculation to peat stimulated the formation of inflorescences and inflorescence buds. It also had a positive effect on the size and number of leaves. An additional effect of using compost obtained from wood waste is the reduction in the consumption of natural resources such as peat. Full article

Green agro waste can be turned into compost, which can then be used as an organic fertilizer, thus reducing the environmental impact of food and feed production. This research is focused on finding a feasible on-farm composting treatment of plant biomass to produce high-quality compost. Three different composting treatments were prepared and followed (with different additives at the start—biochar (BC) and effective microorganisms (EM), no additive (CON); covering and not covering the pile; different start particles size). Samples were analysed for nutrient concentrations, phytotoxicity and bacterial and fungal presence after seven months of composting. In 100 g of dry matter, the average compost contained 2.7 g, 0.38 g and 1.08 g of N, P and K, respectively. All investigated treatments contained more than 2% of total nitrogen in dry mass, so they could be used as a fertilizer. The highest nutrient content was observed in compost of small particle size (˂5 cm) and added biochar (11 kg/t fresh biomass). However, this compost had the least bacteria and fungi due to very high temperatures in the thermophilic phase of this pile. According to the radish germination index, the prepared composts have no phytotoxic properties and are stable and ready to use in plant production. Taking the cress germination test into consideration, they provided a nutrient-rich and biostimulative soil amendment. All three final composts were stable in terms of respiration rate, growth and germination tests. Results have shown that hop biomass after harvest has great potential for composting. Full article

Agricultural waste is a type of solid waste that needs to be managed properly. Organic waste can be recycled to produce bokashi fertilizer, which can be used to improve soil health, increase crop production, and sanitize the environment. However, it may contain heavy metals that could be toxic to plants and can pollute the environment if not properly decomposed. This study was designed to evaluate the fertilizer quality of six different bokashi fertilizer ratios (bfrs) over seven- and thirty-day maturation periods. The raw materials used include horse bedding waste (HBW), cow dung (CD), and paddy husk charcoal (PHC) in different ratios, treated with an effective microorganisms (EM₄) solution. All the nutrients studied (N, P, K, Mg, and Ca) were significantly affected by the bokashi fertilizer ratios (bfrs). The best bokashi fertilizer ratio was bokashi fertilizer ratio-6 (bfr6), but it was statistically similar to bokashi fertilizer ratio-5 (bfr5). Its N, P, K, Mg, and Ca contents were higher than the control (bfr1) by 133.9%, 225.5%, 196.4%, 105.0%, and 84.7%, respectively. Similarly, all these nutrients were significantly affected by time. N, P, K, and Mg increased by 21.2, 33.0%, 16.4%, and 28.8%, respectively, after 30 days of maturation, with a decrease in Ca only 2.4%, which was not significant A germination index (GI) of 90.1% was obtained using cabbage seeds. The heavy metals result and germination bioassay confirmed the safety and maturity of the bokashi fertilizer. In conclusion, the results revealed that good-quality bokashi fertilizer can be produced within 30 days. Bfrr5 and bfr6 are equally good candidates for producing good-quality bokashi fertilizer for effective crop growth. Full article

HIL are useful in agriculture because they can be used as feed for livestock or fertilizer and can bioconvert organic wastes, such as food waste and human and animal manure to usable fertilizer. In addition, HIL are being studied as a source of biodiesel because of their high-fat content. However, their use for biodiesel production has not been fully adopted. Here, the results showed that survival, weight gains, and total dried weight were significantly enhanced when HIL were fed dried-food waste (DFW)/chicken manure (CM). Furthermore, increased weight gain was observed in HIL fed DFW containing 5 mL waste cooking oil (WCO) per 100 g and 1.2% (v/w) fermented effective microorganism (F-EM). Based on these results, we prepared experimental feeds containing DFW, CM, WCO, and F-EM to establish an optimal feed for biodiesel production. We found that FT-1-2, a feed prepared with 60 g DFW, 40 g CM, 2 mL WCO, and 0.8% F-EM (v/w), significantly enhanced fat content, weight gain, and total dried weight of HIL. Our results indicate FT-1-2 is a suitable feed to breed HIL for biodiesel production. We then developed an automatic oil extractor for biodiesel production. The yield of the oil extractor was higher than that of solvent extraction. The study shows FT-1-2 is an optimal HIL feed for biodiesel production and that the developed oil extractor is useful for the extraction of crude oil from HIL and for the harvesting of defatted HIL frass for livestock feed and fertilizer. Taken together, we established an optimized low-cost feed for HIL breeding and developed an automatic oil extractor for the production of biodiesel from HIL. Full article