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Dr. Ieuan Evans

Ieuan Evans grew up in South Wales on a small mixed farm on the Gower Peninsula. He received an honours degree in Agricultural Botany in 1963. Then completed his PhD in 'Plant Pathology and Virology' at the University of Florida, 1969. He was funded initially from Pennsylvania and later in Florida by benevolent Welsh connections.

Dr. Evans was a faculty member at the University of Guelph, Ontario but spent most of his academic research time on practical problem solving for agriculture in Alberta. Search Google with the phrase 'Evans Cherry and Grain News – Ieuan Evans' to see some of his past and most recent work via the internet. From articles, to videos and podcasts, Dr. Evans is a prolific writer and educator. A couple of other highlights were solving ergot control in small grain cereals and controlling bacterial ring rot in potatoes, both major agronomic diseases. Dr. Evans was also inducted into the Alberta Agriculture Hall of Fame in 2012.

In his presentation Dr. Evans will talk about "Killing Your Lilies". An introduction for this presentation follows:

You buy good lily stock from commercial growers that have been grown from scales or tissue culture. The lilies, Asiatic, Martagon, Trumpets, Hybrids or species grow very well the first year or so. During the 2nd and 3rd years many of your lilies fade or just lose most of their vigour or die. What’s happening?

Chances are you have grown lilies of all kinds for many years in the same area of your garden. Over many years you may have swapped or bought lilies from local growers or friends. What you have done is brought in, on perhaps each and every lily bulb, one or more infectious root and bulb rotting diseases. These diseases are primarily fungi, such as Fusarium, Rhizoctonia, Pythium, Phytophthora and some bacterial pathogens. These diseases can build-up in your lily growing soil where they can persist for very many years.

Some lilies are resistant to these diseases, particularly those selected many years ago. Many newer lilies, planted in lily grown soil, may be very susceptible to this onslaught of pathogens and can die out within 2 – 3 seasons in your garden.

Dr. Evans worked with the Canadian Potato Industry for many years, and will demonstrate the methods that potato growers undertake in order to maintain clean vigorous healthy potato stocks. This could work very well for keeping lilies healthy and vigorous.

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73rd Annual International
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The mission of the North American Lily Society, is to promote interest in the genus Lilium, scientific research in its breeding and culture; standardization of its varietal names; the dissemination of information concerning the above and promotion of such other purposes as may advance the culture of lilies.

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