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Oprins
Plant NV (OPRINS) is a nursery and a wholesale supplier of
ornamentals and starter plants for the commercial nursery industry
and plantations. The company is managed by Jan
Oprins and has a work workforce of 70 people
in Belgium. The company has subsidiaries and joint ventures
in several countries, including France, the Netherlands, and Spain.
For
the last 15 years OPRINS has focused on bamboo both as an ornamental
and as an agroforestry plant. The company has developed tissue
culture protocols for bamboo and is actively involved in
biotechnological research in bamboo. In 1999 the company established
a modern laboratory for the production of bamboos, and a variety of
other plants.
In Spring 2000 the company launched a research project
focusing on genetic improvement of bamboos with in vitro
hybridization and genetic transformation.
Research on bamboo also includes morphology, physiology and
genetics.
OPRINS
participated in the Fair project
Bamboo
for Europe as coordinator of the work package on Propagation,
Silviculture and Harvesting of Bamboo.
Research focused on using bamboo as an agricultural plant in
western Europe, that can be harvested mechanically.
In the INCO Project Sustainable
Management and Quality Improvement of Bamboos and Products,
Oprins Plant conducted research to assess genetic diversity in
bamboos using AFLP® markers.
OPRINS
has taken the initiative to organize the participants for the
BTN project in order to build a strong and open cooperation
between industries and researchers in Europe and Asia.
The
scientist
in
charge
of the BTN project within Oprins Plant is Mr.
Johan Gielis.
He holds a degree in industrial engineering and is
specialized in bamboo biotechnology and mathematics. In 2001
he published his
mathematical
research
on the geometry of natural forms, and has developed
general algorithms with applications in botany.
Mr. Gielis is responsible for Research and Development,
Protection of Intellectual Property and Technology
Transfer
at
Oprins Plant.
He has published numerous articles on bamboo and is
recognized world-wide as an innovative scientist fully dedicated to
bamboo. His recent publications on bamboo include:
Gielis
J., Oprins J.
1998. The
strategic role of biotechnology in mass scale production of
woody bamboos. In: EI Bassam N., Behl R.K., Prochnow B. (Eds).
Sustainable Agriculture for Food, Energy and Industry.
Braunschweig, 22-28 June, 1997.
James and James (Science Publishers) Ltd.
UK, 167-171.
Gielis,
J., Goetghebeur P., Debergh P. 1999.
Physiological aspects of development and experimental
reversion of flowering in Fargesia
murieliae (Poaceae: Bambusoideae).
Systematics and
Geography of Plants 68, 147-158.
Gielis
J. 1999.
Micropropagation and in
vitro flowering of temperate and tropical woody bamboos.
In: Raychaudhuri S.P., Maramorosch K. (Eds.)
Biotechnology and Plant Protection in Forestry Science,
13-38 (Invited paper).
Gielis
J., Oprins J.
1999.
Micropropagation of tropical and temperate bamboos:
from biotechnological dream to commercial reality.
In: Proceedings of Vth International Bamboo Congres,
Costa Rica (Keynote
paper part 1, in the press).
Gielis
J. 1999.
Upstream
fundamental research in bamboo – possibilities and directions.
In: Proceedings of Vth International Bamboo Congres, Costa Rica
(Keynote paper part 2, in the press).
Victor
Brias (MFA, Ph.D.) is the Project Development Manager at Oprins
Plant responsible for the company's agroforestry projects in
developing countries. He has a broad academic background which
ranges from philosophy and logic to auditing, finance, and
informatics. He has been
involved
in
managing bamboo projects
since
1995
and
moderates several bamboo
discussion groups on the Internet.
Dr. Brias is in charge of the
general
management of the BTN
project,
as
well
as
of
the
BTN
web
site. |
