Four research-backed presentations from the US Boxwood Blight Insight Group

WASHINGTON, USA: The Horticultural Research Institute (HRI) in the USA has announced a webinar series focused on ‘knowing and growing’ boxwood, boxwood breeding and selection for blight resistance, Invasion, impact and management of box tree moth in Europe, and progress in boxwood blight management in the UK and New Zealand.

The webinar series of four is an initiative of the Boxwood Blight Insight Group (BBIG). This team of American scientists work together on an USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture – Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI) project, in partnership with stakeholders and international collaborators.

This transdisciplinary team and its partners aim to safeguard boxwood—the nation’s #1 evergreen ornamental shrub crop—from blight disease, thus saving an iconic plant featured in American landscapes since 1653.

Webinar #1

Knowing and Growing Boxwood

June 2, 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time (USA and Canada)

Grown for centuries, boxwood is not always well understood. Gardeners know of its reputation, but find it difficult to describe good growing practices. Professionals search for accurate and detailed information to make appropriate horticultural decisions. This introductory presentation hits the high points of box history, nomenclature, landscape use, physiology, pest & diseases, legend & lore, and in particular, horticulture.

SPEAKER

Lynn Batdorf, Retired Curator of the National Boxwood Collection @U.S. National Arboretum

For 36 years, Lynn R Batdorf was curator of the National Boxwood Collection at the U.S. National Arboretum in Washington, D.C. Since 1985, he has served as the International Cultivar Registration Authority for Buxus L.

He has authored three books and over 50 articles on a variety of boxwood topics. He lectures nationally and internationally to professional audiences. He is an Honorary Life Member of: The American Boxwood Society; the European Boxwood and Topiary Society – UK; the Association Française pour l’Art Topiaire et le Buis.

FREE REGISTRATION: GROWING BOXWOOD

Webinar #2

Boxwood Breeding and Selection for Blight Resistance

August 25, 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time (USA and Canada)

Speaker: Katrijn Van Laere, Senior Researcher @Flanders Research Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food-Plant Sciences Unit (ILVO)

Register

Webinar #3

Invasion, impact and management of box tree moth in Europe

December 2, 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time (USA and Canada)

Speaker: Marc Kenis, Head Risk Analysis and Invasion Ecology @Centre for Agricultural Bioscience International (CABI)

Register

Webinar #4

Progress in Boxwood Blight Management in the United Kingdom and New Zealand: 1990s to 2021

March 10, 2022, 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time (USA and Canada)

Speaker: Matthew Cromey, Senior Plant Pathologist @Royal Horticultural Society (UK)

Register

 

 

 

 

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