Plantsthrough

Plantsthrough is a term used in horticulture and plant processing to denote the throughput of plant material through a cultivation or handling system. It describes how many individual plants complete a defined production stage within a given time, from propagation and growth to harvest, conditioning, and packaging. The term combines 'plants' and 'throughput' and is commonly used in operations planning, greenhouse design, and automation projects to assess capacity and efficiency.

In practice, plantsthrough is expressed as plants per day (PPD) or plants per hour (PPH), and can be reported as a percentage of a system’s designed capacity. It supports planning by revealing bottlenecks, informing staffing levels, and guiding equipment selection. It is frequently used for nurseries, vertical farms, tissue-culture facilities, and post-harvest lines where multiple stations must be coordinated.

Factors that influence plantsthrough include species and cultivar growth rates, cycle length, environmental control quality, labor productivity, automation level, and equipment reliability. Because plant growth and processing are biological processes, the measured rate can vary with season, batch size, and quality requirements.

Limitations and scope: plantsthrough is a planning metric rather than a guaranteed operational outcome. It complements other measures such as cycle time, yield, and quality metrics.

See also: throughput, production line, lean manufacturing, greenhouse automation, vertical farming.