You are the leading horticulturalist (senior) for a wholesale nursery providing landscapers, retail nurseries and supermarket chains with annuals perennials, ferns and orchids as well as trees, shrubs and vines. The nursery's turnover is $6.5 million per annum.

The nursery is located on 15,000 sqms, approximately 33% is for propagation, 50% for stock and the balance is for aisles, roads, car parking, office facilities and amenities. Land and buildings are valued at $3.5 million, stock and plant area $1. 5 million, machinery and equipment $850,000, consumables are estimated to be $50,000.

It has a complement of 15 people, including 2 Senior horticulturalists, 9 qualified nursery tradespeople, 1 Apprentice nursery tradesperson, yourself, the MD and the Administrative assistant. There are two (2) other Directors.

Applicable total cost of employment:

Position	Total cost of employment
Senior horticulturalists	$85,000 per annum
Nursery tradesperson	$55,000 per annum
Admin assistant	$40,000 per annum
Apprentice nursery tradesperson	$35,000 per annum
Managing Director	$120,000 per annum
Directors	$25,000 directors fee each p.a.

All of the Senior Horticulturalists and the MD are skilled in carrying out tissue culture.

The nursery is a Pty Ltd company.

The nursery's resources include a dedicated propagation room, a laminar flow cabinet, 3 x 1050 m²growing enclosure (where the propagated plant material can become established prior to moving to the display benches).

Each growing enclosure is 21m x 50m and both are fully enclosed igloos (30% - 50% shade). Each has a concrete floor, galvanised iron benches and floor drainage channels (the collected water is filtered and recycled). The benches are 900 mm (H) x 1200 mm (W) x 46 metre (L) with 900mm access either side. This permits the use of mobile trolleys to readily move the stock in100 mm pots loaded into 1.0m² trays. The mobile trolleys carry 6 trays at a time and as each tray is unloaded the underlying tray moves up to take its place.

Grafted materials are usually grown in 150 -300 mm pots. Ferns and orchids are germinated in flasks and 3 months after germination are planted out, usually in 50 mm tubes.

The enclosures also have artificial lighting, ventilation, heating and fertigation equipment as well as overhead and on ground irrigation / misting system, sharing a dedicated 100,000 litre u/g recycled water tank.

The benches are currently 66% occupied with stock that will not be ready for at least 6 months.

The owners have asked you to prepare and complete plans for the propagation of 3 new species / cultivars using a different technique for each, one of which must be tissue culture for a new award winning (and highly prized) orchid hybrid (Phalaenopsis Merlin x Excalibur) that was bred by the MD.

Note a buyer in the US has ordered 1,000 flasks with each flask containing 3 seedlings under an exclusive agreement. The MD has agreed to not produce any additional stock and has calculated each flask will generate $120 gross profit per flask.

To clarify, propagation requirements may include

2. purposeorintendeduseofthepropagatedplants
4. budget limitations
6. qualityandcontinuousimprovementprocessesand standards
8. permitsor licensesfor collectionofmaterial
10. environmentalmanagement,wastedisposal, recycling and re-useguidelines
12. maintenanceactivitiesforpropagationafter-care
14. marketingqualityandquantityspecificationsandtimelines for theprogram.

You are expected to present detailed plans for each species or cultivar and your report must show evidence that you have: -

• Carried out preliminary planning activities for the 3 plant propagation program including any legal obligations and the achievement a common end date (within 4 weeks).
• Determined the production requirements
• Identified and developed the propagation techniques required for each species /cultivar including an analysis of the risks involved.
• Identified and selected the environmental parameters, taking into account the type of plant and propagation method used and space requirements.
• Identified the seed and vegetative propagation material, tools and equipment requirements
• Identified the propagation program activities
• Identified and carried risk assessment (WHS)
• Identified the labour and workflow requirements
• Determined the propagation media requirements, taking into consideration the propagation method and needs of the plant
• Determined the container requirement to meet all needs
• Determined the selection criteria for propagation material
• Identified and documented the propagation program hygiene practices
• Determined and documented the propagation program budget
• Documented the propagation plan entering all information identified during development
• Documented the propagation program schedule
• Communicated the propagation plan / schedule to staff
• Coordinated the activities according to the production schedule
• Monitored and assessed the health, condition quality and viability of the plants (ensuring they are performing according to plan.
• Negotiated a budget and delivery timetable for each species / cultivar[1].
• Established processes to monitor the success of the propagation activities including intervention strategies.
• Modified the program plan where necessary to achieve planned requirements
• Developed and negotiated a budget for each activity.
• Recorded and documented the propagation activities including WHS.
• Researched information about the production requirements, growth conditions and marketing implications

Your nursery consistently achieves 95% success rate when propagating plants using asexual techniques and 85% when using sexual techniques (germination to seedlings). You will be expected to achieve similar results. All stock is to be ready within 4 months +/- 2 weeks and the targeted gross profit is approximately $500,000. You can assume all stock will be sold at that time. Seedlings are supplied in 75 mm pots.

Your customers are prepared to pay a slight premium for the stock you produce because of the nursery's past consistent performance to deliver the required stock to the specifications provided by the clients. Your MD is particularly conscious of the value of the nursery's reputation for 'excellence' believing it adds at least 10% in the value of sales as clients achieve a competitive advantage on their competitors. This provides your MD leverage during negotiations on the contracts to supply.

• includes an assessment of the nursery's capability to meet the deadline with minimal impact on existing operations.

Information that would enable you to negotiate a budget with management and suppliers

• purposeorintendeduseofthepropagatedplants
• budget limitations
• qualityandcontinuousimprovementprocessesand standards
• permitsor licensesfor collectionofmaterial
• environmentalmanagement,wastedisposal, recycling and re-useguidelines
• maintenanceactivitiesforpropagationafter-care
• marketingqualityandquantityspecificationsandtimelines for theprogram

Items	Method of propagation
Species / cultivar 1: ________________________	Species / cultivar 2: ________________________
What method of propagation are you using
What is the key propagation requirement
Indicate the ideal harvest time
What the key production requirements suited to achieving the required harvest date e.g. labour, space, water etc.
What are the environmental parameters, taking into account the type of plant and propagation method used and space requirements.
What are the legal obligations
What potential / significant impediments could prevent this date being achieved
What steps are in place to ensure the risks are minimised.
Which steps are the costliest to implement
Source of the propagation material (on site, off site)
Quality specifications for the propagation material (seed, cuttings, bulbs, tissue etc.,)
What quality controls are being applied to ensure the propagating materials are to specification
Provide an estimate of the quantity of high quality materials (Numbers if cuttings bulbs etc., and % for seeds & spore
Describe the operational requirements to achieve the optimum outcome from the propagation activity
Describe any specific requirements needed at the production site.
What steps are required to ensure there are sufficient skilled personnel available to carry out each phase of the propagation activity
How will the skills of the worker be determined
Determine whether there is sufficient quality and quantity of materials for the planned production. When will it be available. What ongoing maintenance is needed to ensure continuity of the work activity
Determine the capability of the existing tools and equipment to support the delivery of the propagation activity. (What corrective action is needed)
What needs to be done to protect the propagated material from harm
What needs to be done to protect workers from harm
How will thepropagation program budget be determined, negotiated, documented and implemented.
How will the program (including its schedules) be coordinated, monitored and recorded
What are the indicators that tell you the growing methods /controls need to change or be modified to suit
Describe the standards of hygiene and include steps to ensure hygiene standards are maintained.
How will the cost records be kept and reported
What production records need to be kept
Describe how variations in the planned activity and actual outcomes are recorded and reported. (Identify key benchmarks)
What regulatory requirements must be considered e.g. waterways, waste management, sustainability
How will all this be communicated to staff
How will all this be recorded and reported.