Luka Batisticˇ, Stanislav Trdan, Filip Vucˇajnk, Matej Vidrih, Tone Godeša
Heteropteran pests are economically important in field crops, and nonchemical alternatives are increasingly needed within integrated pest management (IPM). We evaluated a prototype tractor-mounted vacuum system (TMVS), a pneumatic device for the mechanical removal of heteropteran pests, in a 3-yr field study across soybean, sunflower, sorghum, alfalfa, and buckwheat. To our knowledge, this represents the first field-based evaluation of such a system under European agronomic conditions. Heteropteran abundance was assessed before and after TMVS passage using visual plant assessment and sweep-net sampling. Across all crops and years, TMVS passage was associated with reductions in heteropteran abundance, with responses driven primarily by nymphs. Visual assessments showed significant reductions in nymphs (44.8%) and total heteropteran abundance (37.5%), whereas adult reductions (15.5%) were not significant. Sweep-net sampling showed mean total abundance declining from 41.58 to 20.50 individuals m-2 (50.7%), with significant reductions in adults (41.9%), nymphs (58.0%), and total heteropteran abundance, and proved more sensitive than visual assessment. Forward speed (3.1 vs. 6.0 km h-1) produced comparable reductions, whereas the Narrow throttle-valve airflow configuration increased proportional total reductions from 43.0% to 62.5% and significantly improved nymph removal. Across all sampling events, 7,618 heteropteran individuals were recorded, dominated by Miridae (49.4%), Nezara viridula (30.6%), and Halyomorpha halys (9.2%). These findings demonstrate that TMVS passage can produce immediate reductions in sampled heteropteran abundance under field conditions and support further evaluation of this technology as a complementary IPM tool in European agroecosystems. Additional studies are needed to optimize its operational performance and assess longer-term field efficacy.