Identifying the Requirements in Application of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) in Horticultural Products from Experts Point of View (Case Study: Karaj Township)

The main purpose of this study was to identify the requirements in applying the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) in horticultural products from the view of experts. It was an applied type research and the main instrument which used in this survey was questionnaire. The population of the study consisted of 50 experts, because of small population a census method was conducted. Validity of the instrument was established by panel of experts consisting of faculty members in agricultural extension and education department, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University and some specialists in Ministry of Jihad-e Agriculture. A pretest was conducted with 20 experts in the Iranian Research Institute of Plant Protection to determine the reliability of the questionnaire for the study. Computed Cronbach’s Alpha score was acceptable for different parts of questionnaire (0.71-0.89), which indicated that the instrument was reliable. Factor analysis showed that five latent factors educational-extension; economic; policy making, technological; and monitoring & program planning explained 66 percent of variance.