While typhoons used to be the main natural disaster faced by tea plants from 1999 to 2019, droughts have become more common after 2011, it said. With this data, the station developed a smart drip irrigation system that incorporated Internet of Things sensors and AI, Su said. The system can also generate customized irrigation advice based on tea plants’ varietal characteristics, terrain conditions, cultivation approaches and micro-weather data, he added. Production further rose by 2.2-fold during the dry periods in autumn and winter, compared with tea fields without a smart irrigation system, it showed. The system also saved about 13 percent and 24 percent of irrigation water in wet and dry seasons respectively last year, the research showed.

Source: Taipei Times March 01, 2026 17:16 UTC