June 2019 - 13

to take advantage of the high volatile celery
prices in the early Michigan campaign, " he
said. " The market should support higher
prices in early July prior to production
availability from Ontario/Quebec. "
" Like any trend, there is no way to tell
if it will be a long-lasting one, " Duda
said. " That said, as demand for plantbased
and convenience items continues
to elevate, we do anticipate that celery
will continue to be a key player. Change
does not happen overnight - supply will
improve once we respond and adjust to
this new normal of celery consumption.
Working with Mother Nature, this will
take roughly six months for supply to
meet the new demands of the category. "
New Michigan research
Michigan State University (MSU)
researchers have stayed active in
making sure growers in the Great Lakes
State have the latest tools and research
available for growing celery.
MSU's Bernard Zandsta, a
horticulture professor who specializes
in weed control, spoke at the most
recent Great Lakes Fruit, Vegetable
& Farm Market EXPO in Grand
Rapids. Newly-labeled weed killers for
Michigan celery growers include:
* Zidua 85 WDG (pyroxasulfone),
which controls annual grasses,
common groundsel, common
purslane, ladysthumb, marsh
yellowcress, pigweeds, Virginia
pepperweed and shepherdspurse.
Celery growers are seeing an increased demand for the vegetable as a diet food, especially for blending and juicing.
* Prowl H20 3.8 CS
Pendimethalin, which controls
common lambsquarters and
common purslane.
MSU Extension specialist Mary
Hausbek also spoke at the EXPO about
new research she had done into fungal
celery crown rots.
Hausbeck's graduate student, Sara
Getson, said an unusually wet season
last year led to fungal problems for
some celery plants, with symptoms
similar to those for fusarium yellows,
" which devastated growers in the
decades prior to the introduction of
resistant celery cultivars. "
It's not certain whether or not the
resistant cultivars' symptoms are being
caused by the same fungi.
" The Hausbeck lab sampled from a
number of different fields and growers
in the state between the months of
July and October 2018, " Getson
said. " Back in the lab, tissue samples
were taken from the vascular system
of the celery petioles. From those
samples, fusarium species were the
predominant and most reliably isolated
fungi. Work in the lab is currently
being conducted in order to identify the
specific fusarium species present and
to determine whether this organism is
the same as the fungus responsible for
fusarium yellows in the past or not. "
Hausbeck's trials showed the
fungicides Quadris and Quadris Top
as providing good control, although
Quadris Top has not yet been labeled
for use in Michigan, Getson said. VGN
BIOFUNGICIDE
Potent and Proven.
Protects leaf tissue from future attacks.
UNLEASH
OF ACTION
4 hr. REI
0 PHI
Control fungal and bacterial disease in two formulations, LC and
WG with 5 simultaneous modes of action and years of proven
results. Protection from root to plant surface, every time.
Broad Spectrum. Broad Label. Higher Yields.
1-800-250-5024 | www.CertisUSA.com
VGN | JUNE 2019 | 13

http://www.CertisUSA.com

June 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of June 2019