Occurrence of Fusarium Yellows of Celery by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. apii Race 2 in New York and Its Control. R. T. Awuah, Graduate Research Assistant, Department of Plant Pathology, New York State College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853. J. W. Lorbeer, Professor, Department of Plant Pathology, and L. A. Ellerbrock, Associate Professor, Department of Vegetable Crops, New York State College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853. Plant Dis. 70:1154-1158. Accepted for publication 19 June 1986. Copyright 1986 The American Phytopathological Society. DOI: 10.1094/PD-70-1154.

An important celery disease in New York was proven to be Fusarium yellows, caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. apii (F. o. f. sp. apii) race 2. The pathogen was isolated from roots, crowns, and petioles of diseased celery plants collected from commercial fields, and typical symptoms of the disease were reproduced in greenhouse pathogenicity studies. Production of celery seedlings in seedbeds of organic soil infested with F. o. f. sp. apii race 2 and transplantation to commercial celery fields was the factor most responsible for the rapid spread of the fungus in commercial fields in New York. Fumigation of celery seedbed soil with methyl bromide eliminated this source of the pathogen. Several celeriac plant introductions (169001, 169004, and 171500) were highly resistant to the disease in greenhouse and field experiments. Attempts to control the disease by fungicides were ineffective.