- THE FLORICULTURE VEGETATIVE CUTTING INDUSTRY 163
chrysanthemum cuttings, where robotic arms identify cuttings spread
out on a conveyor belt. The arms pick up individual cuttings, orient
them properly, and insert them into the propagation medium. Chrysan-
themum cuttings consist of relatively sturdy leaves and stems, and are
uniform in size, so this system has considerable potential for future
success.
Another approach has been to pre-load cuttings into cartridges using
lower wage labor at the stock-plant facilities, then ship the cartridges
internationally. The recipient of the cuttings loads the cartridges into
transplanting machines that insert the pre-stuck cutting into another
container that goes into a propagation greenhouse. This technique uti-
lizes unrooted or callus cuttings inserted into an inert media in the car-
tridges so that there are not any issues concerning importation of soil
or roots, which is prohibited by many countries.
Grading systems are currently in use to sort cuttings into different
size grades based on mass. Camera systems are also used in various
aspects of floriculture production to automate the grading process and
thus improve production uniformity.
The advent of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) has created the potential
for propagating cuttings on multi-tiered benches inside of warehouses.
LED arrays could be placed above each bench to supply the ideal DLI
to the cuttings. The temperatures and light levels inside of a warehouse
would be considerably more moderated than inside greenhouses, which
would allow for reduced stress and likely greater success in root initi-
ation and growth management. These warehouses could be humidified
with fog systems much as is currently done in germination chambers.
Such systems are currently being investigated for improving the tran-
sition and acclimation of high-value, tissue-cultured plantlets from the
sterile tissue culture container to the greenhouse environment.
B. Industry Consolidation
The floriculture industry continues to evolve and grow. With this
growth has come a change in the ownership and control of the genetics
produced across the industry. Through the 1980s and 1990s, indepen-
dent, often family-based, breeding and stock-plant-production facilities
were acquired by other independent businesses. At the turn of the cen-
tury, larger, multi-national corporations also got involved by purchasing
and consolidating various businesses in the floriculture sector. In the
past decade, private equity investors have begun to purchase indepen-
dent floriculture businesses. The net effect has been a consolidation of