Hello everyone,
I’m Andy, a tea enthusiast.
Today, let’s discuss the topic of “Tea Micro Weather Stations.”
➤ What is a Weather Station?
A weather station is a system that uses instruments to observe weather conditions.
It typically monitors wind direction, rainfall, temperature, humidity, and light flux.
The weather stations managed by the Central Weather Bureau are usually expensive and less densely distributed.
In contrast, micro weather stations, commonly used in agriculture, have lower costs and can be installed more densely,
which enhances the accuracy of climate detection.
Agricultural micro weather stations often come with additional functions, such as monitoring soil conductivity.
➤ Why Install Agricultural Micro Weather Stations?
Monitoring microclimates serves the following purposes:
• To stabilize or improve crop yields.
• To stabilize or improve crop quality.
• To predict the likelihood of pest outbreaks.
➤ What Challenges Exist When Using Agricultural Micro Weather Stations for Oolong Tea?
For Oolong tea, stabilizing quality is more critical than stabilizing yield.
Hence, defining what constitutes high-quality Oolong tea becomes the key issue.
When good quality cannot be defined,
no weather factors can be linked to it.
Unlike green tea and black tea,
which are categorized as non-oxidized and fully oxidized teas respectively,
Oolong tea is partially oxidized.
"Partial" implies variability, making it difficult to define and replicate.
The quality of Oolong tea depends on both weather conditions and human processing.
When processing methods and quality cannot be recorded or defined,
an abundance of weather data becomes challenging to apply effectively.
➤ Can Agricultural Micro Weather Stations Predict Pests and Diseases?
Yes, but it’s very challenging.
If pests and diseases can be predicted,
pesticide usage can be reduced.
The challenges include two main points:
1. Different regions have varying conditions for pest and disease outbreaks.
2. Comprehensive databases for pest and disease outbreak conditions are currently incomplete.
For Oolong tea, applying agricultural micro weather stations to improve yield and quality is difficult.
However, using them to predict pest and disease outbreaks is a more feasible goal.
For example,
in a 2,000-ping (approximately 6,600 square meters) tea plantation, one micro weather station can be installed for every 500-ping unit.
When a specific station warns of a potential pest outbreak,
farmers can apply small amounts of preventive pesticides.
The benefits include:
• Reduced pesticide usage: instead of treating the entire 2,000-ping plantation, only the 500-ping affected area is treated.
• Improved health for farmers due to reduced pesticide exposure.
• Environmental benefits: less pesticide usage leads to lower pollution levels.
The ultimate goal is “precision agriculture.”
We look forward to a day when every tea plant can be monitored.
If a tea plant shows early signs of disease, it can be treated individually.
This would be the ultimate goal for Taiwan’s tea industry.
That’s all for today’s sharing.
I hope it was helpful.
See you next time!
#yoshantea #taiwantea #oolongtea #teafactory #FSSC22000 #safetea #microWeatherStation #precisionagriculture #smartfarming #sustainableagriculture #pestprediction #environmentalfarming
