He initiated the research field of pesticide residues in tea at home and abroad from the 1960s, and revealed the degradation laws of different types of pesticides on tea trees. Under his leadership, he founded two new fields of tea science, namely "pesticide residue control in tea" and "chemical ecology of tea garden insects", and successively demonstrated the composition and succession law of tea plant diseases and insect pests in the world, the main indicators of tea plant diseases and insect pests control, the applicable pesticides in tea gardens, the safe interval of pesticides, the maximum residue limit standard of tea pesticides, the rational application technology, the principle and method of pollution-free tea production, etc. A comprehensive pest control system in tea garden was established. The safe use standards of various pesticides on tea trees have been formulated successively, including national standard 18 and ministerial standard 5, which have been popularized and implemented throughout the country. According to estimates, the improvement of the prevention and control level of tea plant diseases and insect pests contributes more than 25% to the increase of tea yield.

Since 1980s, researcher Chen Zongmao began to study the prediction of pesticide residues, and established the prediction model technology of pesticide degradation in tea trees and tea. Its research results are recognized as international advanced. The laboratory established under his leadership has also been recognized by the European Union, becoming the only certified testing laboratory for China's tea export to Europe. Since the late 1990s, he has also initiated the research field of chemical ecology of tea pests, carried out the chemical communication research on the nutritional relationship among tea trees, pests and natural enemies, and achieved breakthrough research results, which provided a theoretical basis for further improving integrated pest management.

Researcher Chen Zongmao has a wide range of knowledge and is good at grasping the scientific and technological trends of the world tea industry. According to the development and existing problems of tea industry in China, this paper puts forward the countermeasures for the development of tea industry in China. Since 1980s, he has been paying attention to the research on tea and human health at home and abroad. He has written many academic papers related to this, which not only promoted the research progress of tea science and medical professionals in China, but also expanded the exchanges and cooperation among international counterparts, and played a positive role in promoting tea consumption, especially the consumption of green tea in China by developed countries. As follows: