Crop protection against pests through chemical solutions is the most traditional method, but it is not effective for certain types of pests due to their resistance to the available and/or authorised phytopharmaceutical products.
Plants intended for consumption are also increasingly subject to restrictions on the use of phytopharmaceutical products.
Pest vacuuming is an alternative solution that helps keep pest populations at a level tolerable for the crop. The principle involves vacuuming pests before they reach sexual maturity, which leads to a collapse in their population.
Until now, vacuuming has been performed manually by operators who must access the plants using vacuum equipment. This solution requires:

• Leaving uncultivated aisles, which reduce profitability per square metre and increase the number of plants affected by desiccation caused by the aisles.
• Recruiting conscientious personnel willing to work in potentially challenging conditions (heat, cold, noise from the vacuum motor) and physically demanding situations (risk of musculoskeletal disorders, etc.).

We have developed a multifunctional trolley that runs along rails attached to the greenhouse structure. This trolley can water, treat, blow, trap, and automatically vacuum pests from crops.
The trolley is equipped with a beam along which a tool-carrying trolley moves automatically across the width of the crop. The trolley is powered by electricity.
We have mounted an adjustable-height vacuum shredder with a funnel onto this side-moving trolley. The vacuum shredder ensures 100% mortality of the vacuumed pests.
The operator has access to an interface that allows them to programme automatic pest vacuuming for different cultivation zones at varying times and frequencies.
The automation of the pest vacuuming system allows producers to use it periodically while preserving human resources and eliminating crop losses caused by the creation of aisles required for manual vacuuming.

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