Disease Note

Fusarium Yellows (F. oxysporum f. sp. apii) of Celery in Michigan. W. H. Elmer and M. L. Lacy, Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Michigan State University, East Lansing 48824-1312. Plant Dis. 68:537, 1984. Accepted for publication 2 March 1984. Copyright 1984 The American Phytopathological Society. DOI: 10.1094/PD-68-537c.

After an absence of almost 30 yr, Fusarium yellows of celery (Apium graveolens var. dulce L.) was found on a farm in Muskegon County, Michigan, in 1981.  Symptoms included stunting, chlorosis, wilting, and vascular discoloration in the roots, crown, and petioles.  Isolates of Fusarium oxysporum Schlecht. f. sp. apii (R. Nels. & Sherb.) Snyd. & Hans. were identified as race 2 by virulence tests.  In 1982, Fusarium yellows was identified on two additional celery farms in Muskegon and Ottawa counties.  In 1983, the disease was found on four more farms: one in Muskegon, two in Ottawa, and one in Van Buren County.  The source of the pathogen for these recent outbreaks is unknown.  Most currently grown celery cultivars are susceptible, but Tall Utah 52-70 HK and Deacon have shown a moderate degree of resistance in the field.

References: Elmer, W. H., and Lacy, M. L. Phytopathology 72:1135, 1982.  Hart, L. P., and Endo, R. M. Plant Dis. Rep. 62:138, 1978.