Abstract:

There were some changes in color and morphology on the diamondback moth infected with Metarhizium anisopliae. Paraffin sections showed the conidia of M. anisopliae st rain LD65 attached to the integument of diamondback moth and germ tubes partially penet rated through the cuticle 36h postinoculation. After 48h , the endocuticle were disintegrated , the germ tubes had passed through the epithelial layers into the body cavity and invaded the fat body nearby the point of penet ration. By 3d , infected larvae were dead and most tissures and organs were infected and disintegrated with the muti-plication of the hyphal bodies. The hyphae emerged through the cuticle and formed hyphal layer on the surface of the dead insect 5d postinoculation. The invasion process by st rain L F68 were similar to that by LD65 , but the invasion speed was faster than the later.