This is a good example to illustrate how a defect should be handled, when you are not sure of what it is.

Celery will get growth cracks, but what you are seeing here is not typically seen.   You know it is a defect, but you are not sure what to call it, and what the scoring guideline is.  I also do not know for sure what caused this defect, but my guess is it occurred while growing, most likely due to heavy rain, or heat, or both, which caused a sudden growth spurt, leading to the outer branches cracking.  Because I am not certain, I would simply describe the defect, “numerous brown discolored cracks affecting from 4 to 8 inches in length.”

But should it be scored as damage or as serious damage?  Since you don’t know specifically what the name of this defect is, you would revert to the standard scoring guideline for damage and serious damage.  Does the cracking “materially affect the appearance” or does the cracking “seriously affect the appearance?”  Without a doubt the cracks shown here would seriously affect the appearance and be scored as a serious damage defect.

And lastly, is this considered a quality defect (meaning it will not progress or become worse) or is this considered a condition defect?  Because it appears to be dried out, I would classify this defect as being a quality defect.  I don’t think the cracking will become worse, or stalks that are not showing the cracking will suddenly begin to crack and discolor while in storage.  But, because there is cracking, the celery branches are very susceptible to molds and decays affecting the cracks.  So although the cracks will not become worse, the cracks themselves are ideal places for decay to develop.