Nowadays, nursery techniques for the indoor production of small young plants involve a range of protocols that depend on the initial type of material. Tasks such as in vitro micropropagation, production of plant cuttings, grafting of young horticultural plants, etc., are generally performed in climate-controlled, sanitary environments - so-called clean rooms - on special illuminated shelves.
Micropropagation is a nursery technique developed in the early '80s in the Italian province of Cesena, now a world-class centre of excellence. It's one of the most advanced methods for producing large quantities of plants for fruit essences (e.g. peach, berries and ornamental plants).
A second technique in which Italy excels (although it is used globally) is the production of grafted horticultural plant seedlings.
This involves inserting a shoot, called a scion, taken from a plant selected for its high productivity and quality, in the hypogeal section or trunk of a less productive but hardier rootstock that is resistant to soil conditions and the diseases that might propagate through it. The result is a highly productive plant that is resistant to common diseases like verticillium and fusarium wilt and soil-borne parasites such as nematodes.
Both micropropagation and grafting, like other less common techniques that have also been developed in indoor environments, such as vertical farming (for the production of mature vegetables), are performed on trolleys. C-Led has now joined forces with Orlandelli, a leading Italian producer of trolleys and products for the display of plants and flowers.
The first installation was completed at Berryplant, based in Baselga di Pinè, a company with thirty years' experience in the field of Rubus propagation. C-Led slim lamps with a cool white spectrum were installed on Organizzazione Orlandelli trolleys to obtain a perfect micropropagation product. This technique lets Berryplant produce healthy plants, ensuring greater success for growers as regards taking root, plant development and productivity.