Effect of Media on Virulence and Enzyme Activity of Pandora neoaphidis Isolate Pd105 from Thailand to Lipaphis erysimi and Myzus persicae

— The effect of artificial and mass production media on the virulence and enzyme activity of the entomopathogenic fungus, Pandora neoaphidis Remaudière and Hennebert (Entomophthorales: Entomophthoraceae) isolate Pd105, was investigated. Mortality of adult apterous cabbage ( Lipaphis erysimi ) and tobacco aphids ( Myzus persicae ) (Hemiptera: Aphididae) applied with 1×10 10 spore/ml of P. neoaphidis cultured on various artificial media was determined and results differed significantly (P<0.01). Among the artificial media, the target insects infected with spore suspension cultured in SDAY showed the highest mortality in L. eysimi and M. persicae at 97.00 and 95.00%, respectively. Spore suspension obtained from mass production media including, cooked rice, rice grain and sorghum showed significant differences (p=0.01) of pathogenicity to target insects. Sorghum supported the growth of the fungus with the highest mycelial growth and sporulation. Fungal spores obtained from sorghum showed highest mortality to the target insects at 96.60% for L. eysimi and 94.80% M. persicae . The enzymatic activity (chitinase, lipase, galactosidase, esterase, and leucine arylamidase) of the fungus grown in different artificial and mass production media differed.