干旱区生态环境知识资源中心

Management methods in the horticultural industry have changed a lot during recent decades. This has partly been a reflection of increased competition, partly a consequence of the introduction of modern management theories arid computer technology. This process is still going on. The current implementation of quality and environmental management systems is one important part of this development.

Horticultural production has a number of characteristics that make planning very important. This is especially true for pot plant producers, who work with sensitive living plants that are seasonal products grown on expensive production areas and with a great variation in labour requirement throughout the cropping period.

The early horticultural planning systems were designed for use by an advisor who made a rough plan for the year to come. These systems often made use of a cyclical time model that simplified the generation of the plan but complicated its use as a management tool in the firm. Later, when the growers started to run the planning systems themselves, it was obvious that the plan should successively be adjusted to deviations that actually occurred in production. Then, the cyclical time model was often replaced by a non-cyclical one.

The current development in the horticultural industry increases the need for planning systems and the use of them also for management of daily work. This make it necessary to improve flexibility of the systems, allowing more details to be taken into account and allowing planning not only on a weekly but also on a daily basis. Furthermore, the planning system should be integrated with the sales system and with the overall quality management system used in the firm.