Wheels and carts between areas
When harvesting, internal transport or maintenance moves carts, containers or pallet trucks between compartments, wheels belong on the hygiene map.
Applied guide
ToBRFV in greenhouses: why wheels, carts and soles matter
In a greenhouse or horticultural production area, hygiene does not stop at hands, tools and crates. Cart wheels, soles, pallet trucks and mobile equipment can connect compartments that look separate on a drawing.
Hygiene shows up on the route, not only in the procedure
For production, quality, plant-health and maintenance teams, the practical question is simple: what crosses between areas every day and what touches the floor? If people use the entrance correctly but carts or wheels take another route, the concept remains incomplete.
ProfilGate aqua becomes relevant when the crossing can combine mechanical cleaning of wheels, rollers and soles with a disinfectant solution validated by the operator. MENNO Florades is relevant in this horticulture context because the 2024 study examined exactly the ProfilGate + MENNO Florades combination on ToBRFV-contaminated wheels.
The right choice follows the real route: wheel types, available length, organic soiling, number of rotations, refilling routine and the internal verification required by the site procedure.
Signals that the crossing point should be reviewed
Plant residues or wet soiling
When leaves, fruit, plant sap, soil or water appear on the route, mechanical cleaning becomes important before disinfection is evaluated.
Quality needs data, not impressions
When the decision must be supported internally, what was tested matters: agent, concentration, wheel, crossing length, contact and maintenance routine.
Why ToBRFV changes the entrance discussion
ToBRFV is not only a laboratory topic. For a grower, it changes how daily flows are read: people, tools, crates, carts, wheels and frequently touched surfaces.
Stable virus, mechanical transfer, high stop cost
Plant-health sources describe ToBRFV as stable and easily transmitted by contact. In practice, a contaminated surface can become relevant for several routes, not only the area where it first appeared.
In greenhouses, pressure does not come from a single event only. It comes from repeated contact: handling, harvesting, crates, tools, carts, wheels, soles and mobile equipment working near plants or packing areas.
- seeds, plants, fruit, plant residues and surfaces can belong to the same biosecurity discussion;
- hands, gloves, clothing, tools and vehicles can play different roles in the same flow;
- symptoms are not reliable enough for operational decisions; confirmation belongs to testing and procedure.
The weak point is often the crossing zone
Many hygiene concepts control personnel entry well but leave wheels and carts in a grey area. This is where the difference appears between a well-written procedure and a route that works in every shift.
A good crossing point must be used naturally. If operators can bypass it, if the length is too short or if the solution is not maintained, the real result drops even when the product choice is correct.
- harvesting carts, small wheels, containers, pallet trucks and mobile equipment;
- routes between greenhouse, storage, washing, packing and support zones;
- points where the wheel must create enough contact with the active surface.
How to build a better hygiene point
A horticulture crossing point should connect the real flow, hygiene and maintenance routine. The product discussion comes after these three things are clear.
Clarify the route before the product
For a first review, photos and a simple sketch help more than a general description. What enters, what exits, where the cart turns, where cleaning happens and who owns the area all matter.
If wheels already pass through a fixed point, integration is easier. If traffic spreads across several doors or can bypass the point easily, the route should be stabilized before system selection.
- mark compartments, doors, support areas and cart routes;
- note wheel types, diameters, materials and traffic direction;
- check available length for useful contact and enough wheel rotations.
Use mechanical cleaning and disinfection together
The 2024 study is useful because it does not treat disinfection as an isolated gesture. ProfilGate provided mechanical wheel contact, and MENNO Florades was the disinfectant solution tested in the clean-off zone.
For a buyer, the practical message is this: when organic or mineral soiling is present, physical cleaning and disinfection should be designed together, then checked against the operator procedure.
- ProfilGate aqua: active field for wheels, rollers and soles, with liquid in the trays;
- MENNO Florades: benzoic-acid based solution used in horticulture according to label and applicable approvals;
- required routine: liquid level, cleaning, refilling, change interval and clear responsibility.
Connect the point to internal verification
A correctly installed system should be supported by the area routine. Who checks the solution? Who lifts the gratings? When is it cleaned? What is recorded for quality or plant-health review?
The study numbers help the discussion by showing what should be checked locally: wheels, soiling, length, rotations and solution maintenance.
- define the owner for daily point control;
- connect cleaning to the area schedule, not occasional intervention;
- keep product documentation and use conditions next to the procedure.
Images from greenhouse applications
The images show how the hygiene point sits inside the route: greenhouse entry, cart wheels, active field, mobile equipment and positioning between areas.
What the 2024 study clarifies
The study published in Hygiene / MDPI examined ProfilGate with MENNO Florades for ToBRFV-contaminated wheels. It is a valuable source for technical discussion, especially when the figures are read together with the test method.
Data that can guide selection
The test analysed 478 wheel segments. Results included 91.9% to 97.6% reductions in lesions on indicator plants under the defined study conditions.
For polyamide and rubber wheels, the study reported 97.4% and 97.6% after 16 rotations. For larger wheels with polyurethane tread, the reduction was at least 91% after 8 rotations.
- crossing length and number of wheel rotations influenced the result;
- gross soiling created wider variation, with average results from 80.9% to 98.9%;
- the clean-off zone analysis also checked whether the virus accumulated on brushes, gratings or in solution.
How to use these data correctly
For a grower discussion, the figures help prioritize route checks. The site procedure still determines the pathogen scope, disinfectant, contact conditions and internal acceptance criteria.
The data become useful when placed next to your route: wheels, material, contamination, length, liquid, frequency, cleaning and the internal verification required.
- keep study conditions next to the figures;
- check disinfectant and concentration according to label, approvals and internal procedure;
- define what an acceptable local test or verification means for your site.
Useful directions to continue
Wheel and tyre cleaning systems
Sole cleaning and hygiene entrances
Cleanrooms and Controlled Environments
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Do you have a greenhouse route, carts or mobile equipment that should be included in the hygiene concept?
Review the crossing point
Send photos, route, wheel types, connected areas and hygiene requirements. We will return with the clarification questions and the right direction for assessment.
Useful questions for similar projects
Questions for teams comparing the real route, the ToBRFV study, ProfilGate aqua, MENNO Florades and the verification routine.
Start with wheels that move between areas with different status: greenhouse, storage, washing, packing, support corridors, technical areas or spaces where plant residues are present.
For each traffic type, note wheel material, diameter, tread, crossing frequency and whether the wheel can create enough contact with the active field. Small carts can matter as much as larger equipment when they move frequently and touch sensitive routes.
- harvesting carts and mobile containers;
- pallet trucks, platforms and internal transport wheels;
- maintenance equipment that enters multiple areas.
Plant residues, soil and wet dirt change the contact between the disinfectant agent and the surface. If contaminated material remains trapped in the wheel profile, simply crossing a wet surface may not be enough.
That is why mechanical cleaning and disinfection should be viewed together in horticulture applications. ProfilGate aqua can add mechanical contact, while the disinfectant is checked against label, concentration, procedure and site requirements.
The study is useful because it shows a concrete combination: ProfilGate clean-off zone, MENNO Florades, ToBRFV, contaminated wheels, different materials and defined crossing distance.
The figures should stay connected to the method. If your point has a different length, wheel type, soiling level or solution routine, the comparison remains useful, but it should be checked against the real application.
- check available length and wheel rotations;
- check wheel material and soiling type;
- check the routine for maintaining solution in the trays.
The most natural positions are crossings already used by traffic: entrances between compartments, points between greenhouse and packing, cart entrances or routes where mobile equipment cannot be manually washed at every crossing.
A good point has guidance, length, drainage or liquid management, access for cleaning and a clear owner. If traffic can bypass the active area easily, route correction comes first.
For a quick review, send visual and operational information, not only the product name you have in mind. Photos taken during operation usually show more than a perfect sketch made after the shift.
The most useful data are the details the team can check immediately on site.
- photos of the entrance, route and wheels;
- types of carts, equipment and footwear crossing the point;
- available length and width;
- who cleans the point and which disinfectant procedure exists;
- what quality, plant-health or internal audit needs to see.