Genotype-by-Diet Interactions for Larval Performance and Body Composition Traits in the Black Soldier Fly, Hermetia illucens

Simple Summary The bioconversion of organic waste into valuable insect protein as an alternative animal feed ingredient has the potential to improve agricultural sustainability and may become a key element of future circular economy. However, while insects farmed for feed production are considered livestock from a regulatory perspective, systematic linking of genetic resource characterisations and fundamental phenotyping, crucial for precision breeding and feeding schemes, remains scarce even for prime insect candidates, such as the black soldier fly (BSF). The present study initiated to fill this knowledge gap by experimentally assessing BSF genotype-by-diet interactions for a number of economically and ecologically relevant larval phenotypic traits. Besides pervasive diet effects, strong impact of BSF genetic background and ubiquitous environment-mediated interactions were found. This implies some of the so-far unexplained response variation across global BSF studies could be driven by previously neglected mechanisms of genetic specificity, and thus that the concept of broad conspecific plasticity in this insect is likely too simplistic. Instead, it is emphasised that matching BSF genetics to dietary contexts is vital for purposive production optimisation, particularly when extrapolated to large-scale operations. These insights highlight that establishing tailored BSF breeding as an independent branch offers veritable opportunities to efficiently support this growing agricultural sector. Further advancing black soldier fly (BSF) farming for waste valorisation and more sustainable global protein supplies critically depends on targeted exploitation of genotype-phenotype associations in this insect, comparable to conventional livestock. This study used a fully crossed factorial design of rearing larvae of four genetically distinct BSF strains (F-ST: 0.11-0.35) on three nutritionally different diets (poultry feed, food waste, poultry manure) to investigate genotype-by-environment interactions. Phenotypic responses included larval growth dynamics over time, weight at harvest, mortality, biomass production with respective contents of ash, fat, and protein, including amino acid profiles, as well as bioconversion and nitrogen efficiency, reduction of dry matter and relevant fibre fractions, and dry matter loss (emissions). Virtually all larval performance and body composition traits were substantially influenced by diet but also characterised by ample BSF genetic variation and, most importantly, by pronounced interaction effects between the two. Across evaluated phenotypes, variable diet-dependent rankings and the lack of generally superior BSF strains indicate the involvement of trade-offs between traits, as their relationships may even change signs. Conflicting resource allocation in light of overall BSF fitness suggests anticipated breeding programs will require complex and differential selection strategies to account for pinpointed trait maximisation versus multi-purpose resilience.