Using integrated pest management in tomato farms: testing the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use Technology (UTAUT)

Articles in Press

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Department Of Agricultural Extension and Education,, Faculty of Agricultural Management,, Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources.

2 Dept of Agricultural Extension and Education, Faculty of Agricultural Management, Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources

3 Department of Agricultural Extension and Education, Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Gorgan, Iran

10.22059/ijaedr.2025.384830.669328

Abstract

Despite the importance of pesticides in enhancing agricultural crop yields, these chemical inputs are one of the primary sources of environmental pollution, which negatively impact the health of living organisms. Adoption of integrated pest management methods (IPM) is one of the most important strategies to reduce the consumption of chemical pesticides in the farm field. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate, the use of IPM methods in tomato fields by testing the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT). The target population was 990 tomato farmers in Golestan province and a sample of 280 farmers was selected from 6 counties and 29 villages. The results showed that the most important methods of IPM to reduce Heliothis spp. damage in tomato fields are feeding the plant with calcium fertilizers, collecting and eliminating contaminated parts of the crop, using resistant cultivars and releasing natural enemies of pests such as Bracon and Trichogramma. The results of the compare mean test showed that farmers with traditional cultivation use the IPM methods more than farmers with mechanized cultivation. Also, farmers without a second crop have used more IPM methods compared to the group with multiple crops per years. Finally, farmers with integrated lands compare to farmers with fragmented land have used more IMP methods. The results of linear regression showed that the variables of effort expectancy (negative impact), social influence, performance expectancy and facilitation conditions have a greater role in predicting the dependent variable of the use of IPM methods, respectively. To enhance IPM adoption by farmers, future extension interventions should incorporate the constructs of this theory into their programs.

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Iranian Journal of Agricultural Economics and Development Research

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 08 January 2025

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