The Plantsman 



2005 NH Horticultural Endowment Grant Awarded 



The NHPGA Horticultural 

 Endowment Grant for 2005 

 was awarded to Lisa Tewks- 

 bury, University of Rhode 

 Island, for her project entitled: 

 Biological Control of the Lily 

 Leaf Beetle in New England. 

 Without natural enemies, this exotic 

 insect is eliminating native and culti- 

 vated lilies since it was first reported 

 in the U.S. in 1992. 



The lily leaf beetle is controlled by six 

 parasitoids in Europe. After evaluat- 

 ing biology and host specificity of 

 three European parasitoids, Tetrasti- 

 chus setifer, Lemophagus errabundus. 



and Diaparsisjucunda, Lisa and her 

 colleagues obtained USDA approval 

 for field releases of all three in New 

 England. Tetrastichus setifer is now 

 established in four New England states 

 and is substantially impacting the lily 

 leaf beetle population. The $5,000 

 NHHE grant will enable Ms. Tewks- 

 bury to monitor the spread of T. setifer, 

 throughout New England, and make 

 additional releases L. errabundus, 

 and D.jucunda in field lily plots in 

 New Hampshire and Rhode Island to 

 achieve establishment of these parasit- 

 oids in New England. 



It often takes several years for a newly 



By Nancy Adams 



introduced biological control agent 

 to become firmly established, to start 

 to impact a host population, and to 

 spread beyond the initial release site. 

 To some degree the implementation 

 phase of biological control occurs 

 naturally. The parasitoids that Lisa re- 

 leases are expected to spread through- 

 out North America in the same way 

 that the lily leaf beetle has. However, 

 the intent is to eventually make para- 

 sitoids available to growers and home 

 gardeners who will directly receive 

 the benefits of this research by intro- 

 ducing biological control agents into 

 their own farm or garden, and assist tn 

 the spread of the parasitoids. ♦ 



Donations Needed 



Plant material, seeds, soil & compost 



The Southern NH Resource 

 Conservation and Development 

 Area (SNHRC&D) is an indepen- 

 dent nonprofit agency cre- 

 ated to proactively assess the 

 natural and human resource 

 issues facing communities in 

 the southern 6 NH counties. Our 

 mission is to create collaborative task 

 teams to solve problems and build 

 new opportunities for sustainable 

 community development and natural 

 resource conservation. 



As part of our ongoing commitment 

 to community service, SNHRC&D has 

 teamed up with Alvirne High School 

 in Hudson to construct 25 universally 



accessible planter boxes to be placed 

 in nursing homes, assisted living 

 facilities, centers for the developmen- 

 tally disabled, and similar locations 

 for patient therapy and enjoyment. 

 The planters are portable and can 

 be moved indoors during the winter 

 months as desired. We are reaching 

 out to friends, neighbors, and pro- 

 fessional organizations for recipient 

 contact information as well as assis- 

 tance With the donations of potting 

 soil, compost, plants, and or seeds. 

 We would like to deliver a complete 

 package to recipients so planting can 

 begin as soon as the weather allows. 

 Signage recognizing project partners 

 will be attached to the side of each 



planter after construction. If you know 

 of a facility that may be interested in 

 receiving a planter box (there is no 

 cost for the planters or their delivery) 

 or are interested in making a dona- 

 tion of soil, compost, plant materials, 

 or seeds, please contact Bob Shceirer, 

 Program Manager, at robert.scheirer@ 

 nh.usda.gov or Sue Hoey, RC&D 

 Coordinator, at susan.hoey@nh.usda. 

 gov. If you would like to speak with 

 us about this project, please dona TMt 

 hesitate to call the office at 223-0083. 

 All RC&D activities will be provided 

 to anyone regardless of race, color, 

 sex, age, religion, national origin, 

 marital status, or handicap. *> 



April/May 2006 



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