Non-chemical Methods in Controlling Pistachio Pests and their Role in Reducing Pesticide Use and Producing Healthy Crops in Anar and Rafsanjan

In traditional agriculture, the decision to use pesticides is made based on various factors, including their effect on specific pests, their usage costs, a crop's economic value, and pesticide- arisen risks, such as environmental pollution. On the other hand, the main goal of organic farming is to prevent environmental degradation and health risks by reducing or eliminating the use of chemical pesticides. The present study investigates the current status and role of non-chemical methods to control pistachio pests.

The information was collected using a questionnaire from 286 pistachio orchards selected by a random sampling method. Analysis of variance was used to measure the effect of non-chemical methods on the use of pesticides. The logit model was used to investigate the effect of socio-economic factors on the choice of pest management model.

The results indicated that the non-chemical control methods used by farmers were not successful and were used only as a complement to those of chemicals. In contrast, due to the low quality and cheap pesticides on the market, spraying up to 18 times a year is economical for pistachio orchards.

Given the high benefits of controlling pistachio pests, there is a great economic incentive to use pesticides. Therefore, appropriate tools are required to be defined and implemented if other goals such as sustainability and protection of the environment, as well as producing a healthy product, are to be pursued besides economic benefits.