"Panama Disease" and How BSFL Frass can be leveraged to combat Fusarium Oxysporum and other molds in plants

With the documented decline of insect species and populations due to climate change (https://www.nasa.gov/general/climate-change-can-put-more-insects-at-risk-for-extinction/), we are increasingly seeing the inevitable impacts of these declines in the overall health of our plant species and populations as well. Plants depend on insects not only for pollination, but also on the byproducts of insects to rejuvenate the soil they inhabit for nutrition.

Fusarium wilt, or "Panama disease", in a banana tree.

One such byproduct that plants use to fend off mold and other insects is the exoskeleton of the insects themselves. When insects die (or when insect larvae shed their skin), their chitin-rich exoskeletons get re-absorbed into the landscape. When plants are exposed to this chitin, the plant reacts by beginning producing an enzyme known as chitinase. The plant is literally tricked into this reaction as a natural response to an attacking insect, which triggers growth hormones to generate more leaves and fruits (as it expects it will be losing leaves/fruits to its attackers). (https://plantpathologyquarantine.org/pdf/PPQ16_1_10.pdf)

This chitinase production provides multiple benefits - not only does it protect the plant from future insect attacks (the chitinase literally dissolves the jaws of future invading insects) -- it also protects against molds that may already be present in the soil, such as Fusarium Oxysporum, among others.

Fusarium, also referred to as "Panama Disease", is a mold that was first identified in 1995 as a destructive force against banana trees in Panama. There is no cure for Fusarium infestations in soil -- and it is increasingly common worldwide, especially in North America, as climate change continues to rage forth. Tomatoes are especially susceptible to "Fusarium wilt", a condition seen in wheat, palm trees, and almost any plant people keep for decorative or edible purposes, when plants are exposed to Fusarium-infested soil. The chitinase response seen to defend plants against attacking insects also protects plants against these molds.

Fusarium Wilt in tomatoes.

How does Black Soldier Fly Larvae (BSFL) Frass uniquely reduce mold infestations in soil?

The unique ability of the Black Soldier Fly Larvae to digest and efficiently process pathogens carries forward into its excrement, combining with the shedding of skin five times throughout the larval stage to mount a multi-faceted defense for plants that are exposed to BSFL frass. Black Soldier Fly Larvae thrive on decaying and rotting biomass, and excel at breaking down this biomass despite it being rife with bacteria and other pathogens we might find dangerous or lethal. Beneficial microbes endemic to the digestive tracts of BSFL eliminate these pathogens, converting them into useful nutrition for plants along with the biomass they consume. These microbes persist in the byproducts the BSFL leave behind, and, coupled with the chitinous skin they shed throughout the larval stage, the resultant frass they produce contains not only nutrients for plants, but also these

microbes and chitin. (https://plantpathologyquarantine.org/pdf/PPQ16_1_10.pdf)

If you are experiencing Fusarium wilt, our BSFL frass could be a defense mechanism for your plants to withstand the mold increasingly inherent in soils everywhere.