- THE FLORICULTURE VEGETATIVE CUTTING INDUSTRY 129
worker compliance. Flow of human traffic within the greenhouses is
managed by not allowing entrance to an elite stock area if the individ-
ual has previously entered any other greenhouse on that day. Personal
clothing may not be allowed in elite areas; thus, lockers and showers are
located onsite, and clean, work clothing and rubber footwear are pro-
vided for the workers to change into prior to entering the greenhouses.
Work clothing typically consists of coveralls that may be covered with
an additional apron that is replaced as workers move between differ-
ent greenhouse sections. Hairnets are often used. Extensive hand wash-
ing and fingernail scrubbing are performed before greenhouse entry and
between each greenhouse section. Latex gloves are utilized so that elite
stock plants are never contacted directly by human hands. Each worker
carries a bottle of disinfectant to wash their gloves between physical
contacts with individual plants. Disinfectants utilized include formu-
lations of benzoic acid (Buettner and Bandte 2000), quaternary ammo-
nium salts (Wintermantel 2011), trisodium phosphate (Czajkowski et al.
2013), Virkon®(Lewandowski et al. 2010), or milk (Losenge et al. 2012).
Latex gloves are discarded between each greenhouse section or groups
of plants. Tools, such as knives, are also treated with various disin-
fectants such as alcohol and chlorinated solutions (Timmermann et al.
2001).
C. Increase Block and General Production
Once cuttings are harvested from elite stock plants and propagated, they
move into an “increase block.” This greenhouse area produces the next
generation of cuttings that will become the general production stock
from which commercial cuttings are harvested. The increase block and
the general production stock may have lower sanitation standards than
the elite stock, depending on the susceptibility of the species to par-
ticular pathogens. For example, solanaceous species and geraniums are
highly susceptible toRalstonia solanacearum(race 3 biovar 2), which is
a bacterial pathogen that results in a quarantine situation in the United
States. Similarly, petunia and calibrachoa are important ornamental
species that are highly susceptible to several viruses. Thus, geraniums
and solanaceous species are grown in the highest protocol areas, where
more stringent protocols are observed and traffic flow never allows a
worker to enter those areas if other greenhouses have been entered ear-
lier in the day. Some species, including poinsettia, are at relatively low
risk of being devastated by pathogens; therefore, sanitation protocols are
relatively low level and may consist of only handwashing, footbaths,
and simple dust coats worn over the worker’s street clothes.