Molecular Entomology 2024, Vol.15, No.5, 209-220 http://emtoscipublisher.com/index.php/me 214 hyperspectral imaging with IoT systems allows for precise monitoring of crop health and pest presence, which helps farmers make data-driven decisions and reduces labor costs through automation (Vanegas et al., 2018). 5 Benefits and Challenges of Precision Pest Management in Tea Cultivation Precision Pest Management (PPM) using IoT and remote sensing technologies offers significant advantages in enhancing tea cultivation practices. However, these benefits come with technological and practical challenges that need to be addressed for broader adoption and successful implementation. 5.1 Increased efficiency in pest management Precision Pest Management (PPM) significantly enhances the efficiency of pest control in tea cultivation by using data-driven technologies. Traditional pest management often involves the blanket application of pesticides across entire fields, leading to inefficiencies such as overuse or underuse of chemicals, increased labor costs, and potential harm to non-target species. In contrast, PPM employs IoT sensors, remote sensing, and advanced analytics to monitor pest populations and environmental conditions in real time. This allows for precise identification of pest hotspots, enabling targeted interventions rather than treating the entire plantation indiscriminately. For instance, UAVs equipped with multispectral imaging can scan large tea fields to detect stressed plants, which may indicate pest activity. This data, combined with on-the-ground sensor inputs, helps farmers apply pesticides only where needed, drastically reducing chemical usage and labor costs. Precision agriculture uses multispectral and hyperspectral imaging from UAVs to detect crop stress and pest infestations with high accuracy, allowing farmers to apply pesticides only in affected areas, reducing chemical usage and labor costs (Deng et al., 2018). These technologies enhance decision-making by providing detailed, real-time data on crop health. Research on UAV-based remote sensing for precision pest management in vineyards demonstrated significant improvements in detecting pest hotspots, allowing for timely interventions and reduced chemical input, a practice that can be directly applied to tea plantations (Maes and Steppe, 2019). Furthermore, the real-time nature of IoT sensors allows for quicker responses to pest outbreaks, minimizing crop damage. For example, in a case study using UAV-assisted detection of red spider mites in tea, farmers were able to rapidly assess the severity of infestations and apply treatments accordingly, resulting in both labor savings and improved pest control outcomes (Choudhury et al., 2022). By focusing resources only where needed, PPM improves both the economic efficiency and environmental sustainability of tea farming, ensuring healthier crops and more consistent yields. 5.2 Economic and environmental benefits The economic and environmental benefits of precision pest management are significant, particularly in the context of tea cultivation. From an economic perspective, PPM reduces the costs associated with pesticide use, labor, and crop losses. Targeted application of pesticides, as facilitated by PPM, means farmers use fewer chemicals, leading to direct cost savings. Furthermore, the efficiency gains from real-time monitoring systems reduce the need for frequent manual inspections and interventions, cutting down on labor costs. Studies in ecological pest management have shown that these methods can enhance both the quantity and quality of tea yield. For example, ecological pest management practices in China led to an increase in economic return of nearly 25% compared to conventional methods, adding roughly $2,000 more per hectare per year (Zheng et al., 2022). Precision farming reduces input costs by minimizing chemical usage and lowering labor requirements, leading to substantial economic benefits. Targeted pesticide applications and real-time monitoring result in direct cost savings for tea farmers, as they can limit pesticide use to specific areas where it is needed. This not only cuts costs but also increases yields by improving crop health (Finger et al., 2019). A study in Shaoxing, China, showed that replacing chemical fertilizers and reducing pesticide use through ecological pest management increased tea yield and quality while reducing environmental pollution. Proper organic fertilizer and pesticide reduction management helped mitigate soil acidification and nutrient runoff, contributing to both environmental sustainability and higher economic returns (Xie et al., 2018). In terms of environmental benefits, PPM minimizes the negative impacts of chemical use on the ecosystem. By reducing the
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