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Bamboo Select® plants are the
result of efficient and up-to-date propagation technologies that
ensure the highest quality plants at friendly prices.
The quality of each Bamboo
Select® plant is not only evident in its healthy green foliage,
but also in its well-developed and vigorous rhizome system. It
is precisely this lower part of the plant that will determine
its establishment and growth after planting.
Considerable know-how has been
developed in the selection of elite genotypes as well as in
propagation and planting technology. Using our efficient
propagation technology, elite bamboos species can be propagated
in mass quantities, but severe quality control procedures ensure
that each plant conforms to the highest standards of
excellence.
Apart from their well-known
horticultural uses, Bamboo Select® plants can be used for
numerous alternative applications in landscaping, agriculture,
forestry, and nature conservation. Bamboo is a versatile plant
that can serve as a wind or visual screen, for soil remediation,
the protection and greening of roadsides, or to stabilize
verges.
A large assortment of Bamboo
Select® species of tropical and subtropical bamboos are
available both for ornamental uses and for reforestation and
agro-forestry in warmer regions. In Asia and other parts of the
world, bamboo can also be used as a biomass plant, growing in
large-scale plantations. The biomass can be used in paper and
wood industries or for handicrafts. On marginal soils or
deforested land, bamboo can provide an excellent solution to
protect the soil against wind erosion. Harvesting after five to
seven years yields a lot of biomass, while regrowth develops
from the rhizomes.
The Role of
Biotechnology
The ultimate goal of Bamboo
Select® is to provide high quality plants at affordable prices.
This is achieved using a mix of more traditional propagation
techniques, such as division or rhizome cuttings, and modern
biotechnological micropropagation techniques.
Micropropagation is a method
using tissue culture technology, to produce large quantities of
plants in a very short time.
Plants are grown in growth
chambers under controlled environmental conditions. On 1 m2
shelf area in a conditioned growth room, 2000 plants can be
grown at one time.
Starting from only a few nodal pieces, within a period of 4-8
months thousands of new plants can be produced. These plants are
multiplied every 3-5 weeks and yield 3-6 new plants each. This
is an excellent method to propagate new introductions or new
selections very rapidly. Moreover, micropropagated plants are
small but vigorous growers, free from diseases or pests.
The selection of motherplants
that will be micropropagated is crucial. Because
micropropagation via axillary branching mimics the natural
growth of bamboo, the propagated plants are genetically
identical to the mother plant. Therefore a lot of time and
energy is used to select elite genotypes. The choice of inferior
plants may cause a considerable loss of profit in plantations in
the long term. In this selection DNA- fingerprinting techniques
are used, both to unequivocally identify genotypes, and to
improve selection procedures for elite genotypes.
The leading position of Bamboo
Select® is the result on the one hand, of a mix of fundamental
and applied research, and of the integration of micropropagation
in the plant production chain on the other. Fundamental research
on bamboo, including genetic and physiological research, is an
important strategy, and Bamboo Select® has an important role to
play in this field.
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