Comparative study of agro-wastes and agro-byproducts on the growth performance of tenebrio molitor larvae.
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Date
2026
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Busitema University
Abstract
The increasing cost and environmental concerns associated with conventional protein sources such as soybean meal and fishmeal have increased interest in sustainable alternatives for animal feeds. This study evaluated the effects of maize bran, banana peels, and their 50:50 mixture on the growth performance of Tenebrio molitor larvae over a 10-week rearing period at Arapai Sub-County, Soroti District, Uganda. Three dietary treatments were evaluated: T1 (100% maize bran), T2 (100% banana peelings), and T3 (50% maize bran + 50% banana peelings).
The experiment unutilized and CRD with three replicates per treatment and 50 larvae per replicate, giving 450 larvae in total. Data were collected weekly and analyzed using descriptive statistics, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), repeated-measures (ANOVA), and Tukey's HSD post-hoc test at a (α=0.05).
Total feed intake did not differ significantly among treatments (F2,6=1.212, p=0.361), however, total weight gain differed significantly (F2,6 =24.417, p=0.001), with T3 recording the highest mean weight gain (0.562 ± 0.057 g), followed by T1 (0.368 ± 0.044 g) and T2 (0.255 ± 0.061 g). Final individual week-10 weight also differed significantly (F2,6=203.181, p<0.001), with T1 recording the highest final weight (0.203 ± 0.015 g). Feed conversion Efficiency did not differ significantly among treatments (F2,6=4.504, p=0.064), although the weekly treatment-by-time interaction was significant (p=0.023). Specific Growth Rate (SGR) differed significantly among treatments (F2,6=10.381, p=0.011), with T1 recording the highest mean SGR (0.565 ± 0.046).
Overall, the findings indicate that dietary substrate influenced mealworm growth performance, although no single substrate was universally superior across all measured indicators. While the 50:50 mixture was optimized cumulative weight gain, maize bran (100% maize bran) maximized final weight and specific growth rate. The findings demonstrate the potential of locally available agro-wastes for sustainable mealworm production suggesting that that substrate choice should be guided by the specific production goals together with feed cost and availability. Further trials with larger sample sizes and longer rearing periods are recommended.
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Undergraduate Research report
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Bwayo, A. (2026). Comparative study of agro-wastes and agro-byproducts on the growth performance of tenebrio molitor larvae. [Unpublished undergraduate research report]. Busitema University.