Advice

Em.Prof. Donald Gabriels has more than 30 years of experience as an expert for different Courts of Justice in East- and in West-Flanders (Belgium).
He holds de degree of agricultural engineering and is honorary Professor of the  University of Ghent, Belgium. He was the former Head of the Departemnt of Soil Management of the Faculty of BioSciences-Engineering of the University of Ghent, Belgium.

He has a longstanding expertise in the technical aspects and discussions about  the construction of toplayers of gras(sport)fields and in solving problems related to

• The management of soils and the use of substrates in agriculture, horticulture and gardening
• Drainage of agricultural fields, of meadows, of gardens and urbanization
• Erosion, sedimet transport and runoff on-site and off-site the fields
• Substrates and compost
• Damage on soils and crops
• The construction of gardens

References: The Courts of Justice of Ghent, Bruges, Veurne, Ypres, Oudenaerde, Merelbeke, Deinze, Dendermonde, Zomergem.

Layout and construction of grass(sport)fields and gardens

After several years of research in the laboratory and in the field, a lot of experiences has been

gained related to the construction of toplayers of grass (football)fields. Soil samples were taken

form pitches in Belgium and in the United Kingdom to be analysed on their pysical and

mechanical properties.

From those results the GANDA CRITERIA were developed as advices for the construction of

toplayers of grassfields www.gandacriteria.be

From 2020 on, advice will be given and tests will be carried out in cooperation with ERCAT,

a recognized FIFA laboratory from the Faculty of Applied Sciences and Materials of the

University of Ghent, Belgium.

References:

Seminars (until 2019) in Oostend, Ghent, Genk, Lokeren, ’s Hertogenbosch (NL), Zeist (NL), Barendrecht (NL)

Seminars in the golf clubs of Sint-Martens-Latem (B) and Breda (NL)

Organizer of ETS (European Turfgrass Society) Field Days (2011) in Ghent, Belgium

Participation in ETS Field Days and congresses in Ghent, Valencia,

Monaco, Kristiansand

Mater of Science thesis at the Department of Soil Management, University of Ghent, Belgium by ir. Davy Ottevaere (2000): Soil physical and soil mechanical properties fort he playability of football pitches

Construction of synthetic grassfields

An optimal funcioning of a synthetic grassfield for football, hockey and even for a garden,

needs, besides a good synthetic carpet, also good quality physical and mechanical

properties of the top layers and the layers underneath.

Apart from the ERCAT tests on synthetic grasses, Em.Prof. Donald Gabriels, will serve as

a private expert in the research and in the construction of hybride grasslayers and on

natural grass fields and gardens 

Construction of vineyards

The cultivation of grapes and the making of wine is becoming more and more popular in Flanders, Belgium.

New fields are opened and layed out!

Studies are carried out in existing vine yards in Huevelland, West-Flanders, Belgium to determine their soil physical and soil mechanical properties.

Advice was given on the layout of a new vine yard in the Scheldt valley near Ghent (domain Waes at Zwijnaarde)

References:

-Master thesis at the Faculty of BioSciences-engineering, of the University of Ghent, Belgium by Emma Tavernier (2015) (in Dutch): Variability of the soil properties of the vine yards of Heuvelland: caracterisation and evaluation of a ‘terroir’.

-Article in Dutch in ‘De Boarebreker’ (Magazine for Gastronomy and Tourisme): Donald Gabriels (2015): Heuvelland has an excellent vino culture

Activities