Evaluation of the effectiveness of eDNA metabarcoding in the identification and monitoring of rice invertebrate pests

Accurate identification and monitoring of pests constitute essential components of effective pest management strategies. However, traditional methods of pest identification and monitoring are increasingly challenged by the diversity, crypticity, and complexity of current pest occurrences. Although environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding has achieved certain progress in this field, systematic evaluations of its efficacy are needed. This study evaluated the application potential of eDNA metabarcoding in rice invertebrate pest identification and monitoring through controlled feeding experiments and field investigations.