Diseases

Septoria Leaf Spot — Celery

Apium graveolens L. var. dulce (Mill.) Pers.

A fungal disease caused by the pathogen Septoria apiicola, which affects exclusively plants of the genus Apium. It is characterized by the appearance of brown spots with black pycnidia on leaves and petioles, leading to the loss of marketability and the death of green biomass.

In the reference 14 varieties crop Celery, where this is mentioned in the description.

The causal agent of celery Septoria leaf spot, the fungus Septoria apiicola Speg., has a narrow specialization and does not affect other species of umbelliferous crops. Although the existence of fungal strains with varying virulence is described in scientific literature, a generally accepted system of races or pathotypes for this pathogen has not been developed to date.

Initial symptoms appear as small chlorotic spots on the leaves of lower tiers and on petioles, which eventually darken, increase in diameter up to one centimeter, and acquire a characteristic margin. The key diagnostic feature is the formation of small black dots in the center of the spots, which are the fungal pycnidia.

Severe development of the disease causes yellowing and premature death of the foliage, which causes direct damage to yield and reduces the market value of celery. Genes providing specific resistance to this disease have not yet been identified; therefore, breeding is conducted mainly in the direction of selecting tolerant forms.

General information about the subject — on the page Septoria leaf blotch.

Sources8

Varieties of Celery mentioned in the description

Selection based on the description text, not on official evaluation: these data are absent from registers. For specific variety details, please refer to its profile.