Suitable Cultivation Areas Research Articles

Assessing the suitable cultivation areas for Scutellaria baicalensis in China using the Maxent model and multiple linear regression

Cultivating medical plants is an efficient way not only to meet the increasingly high demand for plant-based drugs but also to protect wild populations from overexploitation. The environments of cultivation areas should be suitable for both plant growth and accumulation of bioactive constituents. Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi (Huang-qin or Chinese skullcap) is a widely used herb that is suffering rapid population decline in China. To promote better cultivation of this herb, this paper reports a new approach for predicting potentially suitable cultivation areas and for building a mathematical relationship between environmental factors and the active ingredient content in S. baicalensis using the Maxent model and multiple linear regression. The results showed that extreme temperatures and precipitation had considerable impacts on the potential distribution of S. baicalensis. Higher annual mean temperature, precipitation seasonality, and lower isotherms contributed to higher baicalin content. The potential cultivation areas for S. baicalensis were mainly distributed in northeast China. Northeastern Inner Mongolia, part of Hebei and the regions in southwestern Liaoning Province were found to be highly suitable for cultivating S. baicalensis in China. The results of this study can allow growers and pharmaceutical companies to identify suitable areas for planting herbs, which could prevent the blind cultivation of this species in unsuitable habitats while ensuring the quality of S. baicalensis.

Correlation between chemical composition,ecological factors and soil factors of Chinese herbal medicine Daphnes Cortex

In this paper, the correlation between the chemical constituents of Chinese herbal medicines Daphnes Cortex and the ecological factors and soil factors was studied, which provided a reference for the selection of suitable areas for artificial cultivation of Daphne giraldii and wild tending. The geographic information system(GIS) was applied to obtain the ecological factor information of 23 collection sites of Daphnes Cortex, and the soil factor information was determined by the standard procedure in the soil test standard manual. Combining the information of 93 chemical constituents of Daphnes Cortex in 23 collection sites the correlation between components and ecological factors and soil factors was analyzed by statistical methods. The correlation analysis showed that the longitude, annual average rainfall, annual sunshine intensity, annual average temperature in the ecological factors, soil type, effective copper and pH value were the dominant factors affecting the chemical composition of Daphnes Cortex.

Seaweed Production Potential in the Brazilian Northeast: A Study on the Eastern Coast of the State of Rio Grande do Norte, RN, Brazil

Seaweed is a source of multipurpose bioresources, providing millions of dollars to the world’s economy and performing various ecosystem services that aid in maintaining marine balance, reducing eutrophication, providing nutrients and mitigating atmospheric CO2. In this context, this study aims to evaluate the potentialities of the cultivation of the Crassiphycus birdiae seaweed on the eastern coast of the state of Rio Grande do Norte (RN), Brazil, considering the physical and environmental aspects. Estimates concerning suitable areas and their productive potential for the Biomass, Bioethanol, Biofertilizer and Agar bioproducts were carried out. These estimates were based on the Modular Ferry System (MFS) installed on the state coast. Suitable cultivation areas were determined by applying an Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and change detection analysis based on physical and infrastructure factors, such as areas sheltered by winds, sea currents and waves, proximity to seaweed banks, road infrastructure and socioeconomic and environmental factors. Areas identified as suitable for seaweed cultivation totaled 2227.59 ha in area, with a productive potential of 195 thousand tons of fresh biomass/year, over two million liters of ethanol/year and about 43 tons of agar/year. These findings demonstrate that the northeastern coast of Brazil has the potential to generate employment and income through seaweed cultivation, stimulating the coastal region’s development in a sustainable manner.

Climate projections of chill hours and implications for olive cultivation in Minas Gerais, Brazil

Abstract: The objective of this work was to determine the accumulation of chill hours and to define the areas with aptitude for olive (Olea europaea) cultivation in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, as well as to analyze the impacts of climate change projections on chilling-hour requirements and climatic zoning, in two radiative forcing scenarios. The trigonometric method was used to quantify the number of chill hours, considering base temperatures (Tb) of 7.0, 9.5, and 13°C (high, medium, and low chill, respectively), and was applied to present climate (1983-2012) and to two future climate (2041-2070 and 2071-2100) conditions. The present climate data were obtained from 47 conventional weather stations, and the future climate data were obtained from three Earth system models (IPSL-CM5A-LR, MRI-CGCM3, and MIROC5). Future projections point to a decrease in the suitable areas for olive crop cultivation, particularly under representative concentration pathway (RCP) 8.5 and for olive cultivars with a high-chilling requirement (Tb=7.0ºC). Of the olive cultivars requiring medium chill (Tb=9.5ºC), only 2.6% (RCP 4.5) and 1.6% (RCP 8.5) will be suitable in the extreme south and in higher altitude areas of Minas Gerais, while, of those requiring low chill (Tb=13ºC), 11.8% (RCP 4.5) and 6.7% (RCP 8.5) will be suitable. If the climate projections become true, the cultivation of olive crops will be viable in the southern region and in higher altitude areas of the state of Minas Gerais.

Neglected and Underutilized Fruit Species in Sri Lanka: Prioritisation and Understanding the Potential Distribution under Climate Change

Neglected and underutilized fruit species (NUFS) can make an important contribution to the economy, food security and nutrition requirement for Sri Lanka. Identifying suitable areas for cultivation of NUFS is of paramount importance to deal with impending climate change issues. Nevertheless, limited studies have been carried out to assess the impact of climate change on the potential distribution of NUFS. Therefore, we examined the potential range changes of NUFS in a tropical climate using a case study from Sri Lanka. We prioritized and modeled the potentially suitable areas for four NUFS, namely Aegle marmelos, Annona muricata, Limonia acidissima and Tamarindus indica under current and projected climates (RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5) for 2050 and 2070 using the maximum entropy (Maxent) species distribution modeling (SDM) approach. Potentially suitable areas for NUFS are predicted to decrease in the future under both scenarios. Out of the four NUFS, T. indica appears to be at the highest risk due to reduction in potential areas that are suitable for its growth under both emissions scenarios. The predicted suitable area reductions of this species for 2050 and 2070 are estimated as >75% compared to the current climate. A region of potentially higher climatic suitability was found around mid-county for multiple NUFS, which is also predicted to decrease under projected climate change. Further, the study identified high-potential agro-ecological regions (AERs) located in the mid-country’s wet and intermediate zones as the most suitable areas for promoting the cultivation of NUFS. The findings show the potential for incorporating predictive modeling into the management of NUFS under projected climate change. This study highlights the requirements of climate change adaptation strategies and focused research that can increase the resilience of NUFS to future changes in climate.

Using Geographical Information Systems in Determination of Production Areas of Ornamental Plants Konya, Turkey

The increase of dependency of people in nature, due to the gradual increase of population at cities and the effect of life conditions, causes an increase in demand for green areas and ornamental plants. This increase of demand had provided an economic sector dimension to cultivation of ornamental plants. This study had been realized in order to determine suitable areas for cultivation of ornamental plants in the province of Konya which is a significant agriculture potential of Turkey and which has an ecology suitable for cultivation of many agricultural products. In the determination of these suitable areas, Geographical Information Systems having many functions such as location determination, data storage, data analysis and spatial analysis had been used. Climate, topography and soil features required for cultivation of ornamental plants had been obtained in map environment for the research area, and the analyses required for determination of suitable areas had been made in ArcGIS module. As the result of the analyses, it had been determined that the south-east and south-west areas of the province of Konya were suitable or conditionally suitable areas for cultivation of ornamental plants. These areas will be assessed considering their proximity to market and the socio-economic features of the current producer potential, and establishment of ornamental plants cultivation facilities at the most suitable area will provide significant contributions for the province of Konya in economic, social and environmental aspects.

Land Suitability Assessment using GIS for Davana (Artemisia pallens) Cultivation in Karnataka, India

Davana is one of the commercially important aromatic crops grown in Karnataka state, India. Agro-ecological conditions of davana growing areas of Karnataka state was characterized and evaluated. Soil parameters were correlated with herbage yield, oil content and its quality to establish soil-site suitability criteria. To identify the suitable zones for davana cultivation elsewhere in Karnataka, a GIS based agro-ecological evaluation was carried out by using soil resource information (121 soil mapping units on 1:250 K scale) of Karnataka state. Each mapping unit was evaluated by matching soil-site suitability criteria with climate and soil parameters to identify the suitable areas for davana cultivation. Around 45.2 lakh ha area is highly suitable, 65.3 lakh ha is moderately suitable, and 54.2 lakh ha is marginally suitable for davana cultivation. Highly and moderately suitable areas need to be focused for expansion of davana as a component of major cropping or farming systems and also to establish forward and backward linkages.

Modelling environmentally suitable areas for the potential introduction and cultivation of the emerging oil crop Paeonia ostii in China

Paeonia ostii is a traditional ornamental and medicinal species that has attracted considerable interest for its high oil value. To facilitate the effective and rational cultivation and application of P. ostii in China, it is necessary to determine its potential spatial habitat distribution and environmental requirements. Using high-resolution environmental data for current and future climate scenarios, the potential suitable area and climatic requirements of P. ostii were modelled. Among the 11 environmental variables investigated, growing degree days, precipitation of the wettest month, mean temperature of the coldest quarter, global UV-B radiation, annual precipitation, and soil pH played major roles in determining the suitability of a habitat for the cultivation of P. ostii. Under the current environmental conditions in China, a total area of 20.31 × 105 km2 is suitable for growing P. ostii, accounting for 21.16% of the country’s total land area. Under the two future climate scenario/year combinations (i.e., representative concentration pathways [RCPs], RCP2.6 and RCP8.5 in 2050), this species would increase its suitable area at high latitudes while decrease at low latitudes. These results present valuable information and a theoretical reference point for identifying the suitable cultivation areas of P. ostii.

Identifying Suitable Sites for Macroalgae Cultivation on the Swedish West Coast

Special attention has been paid to sustainable macroalgae cultivation in Europe. The question on where suitable cultivation areas lie, without conflicting with current marine socio-economic activities and respecting the environment, remains a great challenge. Considering 13 criteria critical to seaweed farming such as depth, shipping traffic, and distance to ports, this paper aimed to identify suitable and sustainable offshore areas on the West Coast of Sweden for the cultivation of the Sugar Kelp, Saccharina latissima. An integrated approach with the tools geographic information systems (GIS) and multi-criteria analysis (MCA) was used to aggregate the criteria by means of Boolean and weighted linear combination (WLC) techniques. The Boolean method singled out 544 km2 as suitable, whereas the WLC method indicated 475 km2 as highly suitable. Both techniques complement each other in finding optimal sites. Furthermore, the integrated models excelled in providing an overview for effective spatial decision-making that fosters sustainable development of macroalgae cultivations within marine and coastal systems.HighlightsTo the authors’ knowledge no study on seaweed aquaculture site selection has been conducted using such a range of criteria with the purpose of including sustainability aspects within a comparative GIS-MCDA.The large areas identified on the West Coast of Sweden as suitable highlight the potential of this new industry and the complexity of associated marine spatial planning.Boolean and weighted linear combination methods were applied and compared, providing valuable insights in the selection of methods for spatial decision-making support. These insights should support a more sustainable development of macroalgae cultivation in the region, as well as a more resilient marine spatial planning process for blue growth strategies.

Potential Areas for Growing <i>Cyamopsis tetragonoloba</i> (L.) under Rainfed Conditions in Mexico

Cyamopsis tetragonoloba (L.) Taub., commonly known as guar gum, is a legume of great industrial importance due to the multiple uses which can be given by galactomannans contained in the seed’s endosperm. Keeping in mind the acquiring relevance of this crop, it was considered of great importance to characterize the physical environment and the natural factors in order to locate the most suitable cultivation areas under rainfed conditions. The software Arc/View version 3.3 was used to process and analyze the information. The optimal agroclimatic requirements of guar gum were identified and each variable factor was matched with those found at ground level. A cartographic mapping was carried out to regionalize and locate the optimal and suboptimal zones. It was determined that in Mexico there is a great potential for its cultivation since it was found the existence of 900 thousand hectares with high or optimal potential and more than 200 thousand hectares of medium and sub-optimal potential where crop can be well established under rainfed conditions.

Future agricultural conditions in the Nepal himalaya-a fuzzy logic approach using high resolution climate scenarios

Until the end of the 21st century, ongoing climate change is expected to trigger major changes in site conditions and vertical species distributions in high mountain regions such as the Himalaya. Altitudinal ranges of species used as staple crops in Himalayan agriculture and currently suitable cultivation areas will be affected as well. Changing climatic variables such as temperature and precipitation will modify agricultural land-use options, and assessments of future crop growth conditions are in high demand. This GIS-based approach utilizes high resolution climate data of the present and two future scenarios and relates them to bioclimatic requirements of the five most important crops grown in Nepal: rice, maize, wheat, finger millet and potato. It takes into account soil pH as a basic constraint for the individual crop. The three factors temperature, precipitation,and soil pH are then combined using a fuzzy logic algorithm. The assessment visualizes the expected shifts in suitable cultivation zones for the individual crops. The results show that wheat is likely to experience the most severe loss of crop suitability until the end of the 21st century, while the cultivation of rice is likely to benefit.

Climate change decreases suitable areas for rapeseed cultivation in Europe but provides new opportunities for white mustard as an alternative oilseed for biofuel production.

Oilseed crops, including several mustards, are cultivated as biofuel sources worldwide. However, common mustard crops (e.g., the rapeseed Brassica napus) grow naturally in mesic temperate regions, which are expected to be impaired by global warming and increased aridity. In particular, increased aridity is predicted to reduce the oil concentration and seed yield of rapeseed crops. There is therefore an urgent need to identify alternative bioenergy crops that are preadapted to future climatic conditions. An alternative to conventional Brassica species for biodiesel production is the white mustard Sinapis alba, which is native to the circum-Mediterranean region and has a high seed lipid content. S. alba grows spontaneously in olive groves and other widespread Mediterranean crops; accordingly, it could be easily cultivated by companion planting to improve ecosystem function by decreasing soil loss, controlling microbial disease, and assisting in the maintenance of biodiversity. In this study, using species distribution modeling, we predicted climatically suitable areas for the cultivation of S. alba in Western Europe across the Mediterranean Basin under present climatic conditions and several climate change scenarios. We show that current climatically suitable areas for S. alba cultivation do not overlap with those for B. napus. Unlike B. napus, S. alba could be cultivated throughout most of the circum-Mediterranean region. According to our models, increases in aridity and annual mean temperatures will expand the climatically suitable areas for S. alba in the Mediterranean Basin. However, suitable areas for the cultivation of B. napus will decrease significantly in Western Europe. Our results indicate that S. alba is a strong, environmentally safe candidate for biofuel production throughout the Mediterranean Basin and other Western European countries, especially under climate change scenarios that are expected to impair current oilseed crops.

Climate change impacts on the aptitude area of forest species

Climate change has been most evident since the mid-twentieth century and has caused unprecedented planetary change. Economically, the agricultural sector may be the most affected by climate change, as agricultural and forest species are highly dependent on weather conditions. Given the background, the aim of this study was to assess the potential impact of climate changes on the delimitation of areas suitable for cultivation of the forest species Azadirachta indica (neem), Bactris gasipaes (pupunha), Pinus caribaea var. hondurensis, Pinus elliottii var. elliottii, Pinus oocarpa, Pinus taeda, Tectona grandis (teak) and Toona ciliata (cedar) in the Espírito Santo state, Brazil. For characterization of current climate, we used data from 1982 to 2011. The Global Circulation Model (MCG) and MRI-CGCM2.3.2 were used, respectively, to estimate mean annual precipitation and average air temperature for 2050. The projections generated point to reduction in monthly rainfall and increase in average air temperature by 2.1 °C. The annual water deficit will thus tend to increase in most regions within the state. Current and future agro-climatic zoning were compared using a paired comparison matrix. In future, all eight forest species will experience a reduction in suitable cultivation area, with teak likely to suffer least impact and cedar and pupunha likely to experience most widespread changes. Cedar, neem, pupunha, Pinus caribaea and teak will experience the highest percentages of exchange between classes, indicating the emergence of new areas suitable for cultivation under projected future climate conditions. The methodology can be adjusted to agricultural and forestry crops of other countries.

Spatial suitability assessment for vineyard site selection based on fuzzy logic

Developing a sustainable agricultural production system requires knowledge of the climate, soil, and topography of the area of interest. This is especially relevant for wine grape (Vitis vinefera L.) production. The main objective of this study was the development of a comprehensive system to aid in the selection of suitable areas for grapevine cultivation. Included in this system were several bioclimatic indices, such as Growing Degree Days (GDD), Frost Free Days (FFD), and the Huglin Index (HI) calculated over a period of 30 years using daily weather data obtained from the University of Idaho’s Gridded Surface Meteorological (UI GSM) dataset. Soil data and topographical data were also included in the system. The bioclimatic indices, soil, and topographic data were then transformed using fuzzy logic, and suitability maps with scores ranging from 0 to 1 were developed. The final vineyard-potential scores were obtained by combining the soil, weather, and topographic potential scores with a range from 0 to 1, where 0 pertained to non-suitable areas and 1 referred to optimal sites. The maps were evaluated by comparing the range of suitability scores of existing vineyards in Washington State. The evaluation indicated that 97% of the established vineyards have a vineyard-potential score that ranges from 0.8 to 1. The results of this study revealed that 11% of the total study area had a high potential for wine grape production. This study was able to successfully employ fuzzy logic to help decision-makers, growers, and others with conducting a precise land assessment for wine grape production.

Methodology for edaphoclimatic assessment of olive cultivation: Application to the area of the quality mark “Olive Oil Madrid” (Spain)OLIVE OIL MADRID” (SPAIN)

The present work proposes a methodology to select the most suitable areas for olive cultivation under rainfed conditions in the Madrid Region (Central Spain). This methodology is based on an analysis of the significant edaphoclimatic parameters that characterize the study region matched with the crop requirements of the olive tree, in the framework of the Land Suitability Classification system. A key component of the proposed methodology is the selection and rating of edaphic and climatic parameters as limitations associated with olive crop requirements in rainfed conditions. The climatic parameters considered are: average temperature of the absolute minimum of the coldest month (during dormancy and growth periods), average temperature of the minimum in the phenological stages of flowering, growth and ripening, mean relative humidity in spring and autumn, and average annual sunshine hours. The edaphic parameters considered (both extrinsic and intrinsic to soil profiles) include: slope, stoniness and rockiness, drainage, presence of perched water table, infiltration rate, effective depth, available water retention capacity (AWC), cation exchange capacity (CEC), pH, base saturation, active lime, salinity, Ca/K antagonism and organic matter content. For each of these parameters, five levels of severity have been established, from "very unfavorable" (excluded) to "very favorable" (optimal), establishing specific limits within each of these ranges to compare them with the requirements of olive trees. The final phase of the evaluation is the allocation of Suitability Categories to certain areas of interest for olive growing, established according to soil and climate criteria, on the basis of Land Mapping Units defined on the studied territory. The interest of an edaphoclimatic assessment in this geographical area lies in its marginal location with respect to the main olive groves in the Iberian Peninsula, and in the variety of existing climatic and edaphic conditions, some of them generally considered as limiting the cultivation of the olive grove, as well as in an evident current expansion of this crop. The most relevant edaphic limitations derive especially from a low available water capacity, and locally, by factors such as acid pH, Ca/K antagonism or high active lime. The exclusionary limitations derive, to a great extent, from climatic characteristics, associated with low temperatures combined with high relative air humidity. This methodology is expected to serve as a basis for the delimitation of new areas on which the implantation of the olive grove may be foreseen within a period, like the present one, of remarkable expansion of this crop.

Suitable areas of Phakopsora pachyrhizi, Spodoptera exigua, and their host plant Phaseolus vulgaris are projected to reduce and shift due to climate change

Worldwide, crop pests (CPs) such as pathogens and insects affect agricultural production detrimentally. Species distribution models can be used for projecting current and future suitability of CPs and host crop localities. Our study overlays the distribution of two CPs (Asian soybean rust and beet armyworm) and common bean, a potential host of them, in order to determine their current and future levels of coexistence. This kind of modeling approach has rarely been performed previously in climate change studies. The soybean rust and beet armyworm model projections herein show a reduction of the worldwide area with high and medium suitability of both CPs and a movement of them away from the Equator, in 2100 more pronounced than in 2050. Most likely, heat and dry stress will be responsible for these changes. Heat and dry stress will greatly reduce and shift the future suitable cultivation area of common bean as well, in a similar manner. The most relevant findings of this study were the reduction of the suitable areas for the CPs, the reduction of the risk under future scenarios, and the similarity of trends for the CPs and host. The current results highlight the relation between and the coevolution of host and pathogens.

Climatic regionalization of grape in China II: Wine grapevarieties regionalization

The quality of grape wine depends on grape varieties, and a certain variety only plays its potential when cultivating in the adaptable ecological conditions. With the improvement of living standards, people’s demand for wine quality is also getting higher and higher, the grape and wine industry in China developed rapidly, therefore, the precision of the wine grape varieties regionalization must be improved to meet the requirements. In the past, the climatic regionalization studies used meteorological data of only a few hundred or even dozens of stations. This study based on the meteorological data of 2294 stations in 30 years (from 1982 to 2011) and the digital elevation model (DEM) data with the resolution of 3″ (90 meter) in China, under the support of ArcGIS platform, to establish the multivariate stepwise regression model of the frost-free period and active accumulated temperature. The ordinary kriging and inverse distance weighting methods were adopted to make interpolation of the spatial regression residual error of the frost-free period and the active accumulated temperature, the simulated values of the raster layer and the residual value of the raster layer are overlaid to obtain the raster layers of frost-free period and active accumulated temperature; the ordinary kriging was chosen for the spatial interpolation of dryness index to obtain the raster layers of dryness index. At the same time, combined with the special climate characteristics of southwest and northeast of China, we introduced active accumulated temperature and annual extreme low temperature as the auxiliary index to exclude the areas where were too cold for the wine grapes to pass the winter, which improved the accuracy of this research greatly. The climatic regionalization map and varieties regionalization map of grape in China with high accuracy were produced on this basis. The suitable cultivation area for grape in China was divided into 4 districts and 12 sub-districts, and the sub regions are further divided according to the different active accumulated temperature of different maturity grape varieties, then the wine grape variety regionalization map of 12 sub-districts were also produced and described according to the climatic characteristics and distribution range of each sub-district. Suggestions on the introduction and cultivation of grape varieties in different areas were also given. The regionalization results show that the types of wine grape cultivation areas in China are various; the types of Chinese wine grape suitable areas are up to 36 species without considering other factors such as soil conditions. The characteristics of different regions are distinctive, and there will be more types under further precise divisions according to soil conditions and other factors. It is inevitably that China has the potential to become the most diversified wine producing country in the world. The majority of research scholars need to make a concerted effort to dig out the potential value and play the unique advantage of each region. The regionalization map of this study have a high resolution, the recommendations of planting varieties in different grape growing regions are more targeted. It has a certain reference value in the selection of grape varieties in different areas and the relevant industrial policy making.

Climatic regionalization of grape in China I: Indexes and methods

With the rapid development of the grape and wine industry in China, there is an increasing demand of the breadth and precision for climatic regionalization of grape. The climate types of China are complex; the grape varieties for cultivation are plenty, so the regionalization work is difficult. Most of the previous studies mainly focused on one region or one variety, the overall grape regionalization index system is not formed yet; because the data is difficult to be obtained and processed, the regionalization has generally low accuracy. The purpose of this study is to select suitable regionalization indexes and appropriate regionalization methods to improve the accuracy of grape climatic regionalization. This study analyzed the indexes which were adopted in the grape climatic regionalization researches in various regions of China during the past 30 years and chose the active accumulated temperature in the grape growth season and the frost-free period as the heat index, the dryness index in the grape growth season as the moisture index, to establish the multivariate stepwise regression model of the frost-free period and active accumulated temperature on the basic of the meteorological data of 2294 stations in 30 years (from 1982 to 2011) and the digital elevation model (DEM) data with the resolution of 3″ (90 meter) in China, and chose cross validation method to contrast the error caused by different interpolation methods. The ordinary kriging and inverse distance weighting methods were adopted to make interpolation of the spatial regression residual error of the frost-free period and the active accumulated temperature, and the ordinary kriging was chosen for the spatial interpolation of dryness index. Supported by ArcGIS, the raster layers of frost-free period, dryness index and active accumulated temperature are drawn according to the above method. The climatic regionalization map of grape with high accuracy in China was produced on this basis, the suitable cultivation area for grape in China was divided into 4 districts, they are Vitis amurensis suitable cultivation area, Vitisvinifera suitable cultivation area, Franco-American suitable cultivation area and Shelter cultivation area, and presented the suitable grape varieties for different cultivation regions and the problems which should be paid attention to. Opinions and suggestions for grape cultivation in different regions were also put forward according to the different regional characteristics. Topographic factors including elevation, slope, aspect, latitude, and longitude were taken into consideration in terms of the complex geography and distinct tridimensional variety of climate resources in China. The DEM with the resolution of 3″ was adopted in this study, more weather stations data is used, and the mixed interpolation method which combined multiple stepwise regression and residual interpolation method was also adopted in the spatial simulation of the heat indexes in the regionalization. The simulation accuracy of each meteorological factor was improved to reduce the error and make the regionalization more accurate by the introduction of dryness index. This study provided certain reference value not only to the development of grape and wine industry, but also provide scientific support for agricultural sustainable development in China.

Land suitability analysis for rice cultivation using a GIS-based fuzzy multi-criteria decision making approach: central part of Amol District, Iran

Land suitability analysis and preparing land use maps is one of the most beneficial applications of the Geographic Information System (GIS) in planning and managing land recourses. The main objective of this study was to develop a fuzzy multi-criteria decision making technique integrated with the GIS to assess suitable areas for rice cultivation in Amol District, Iran. Several suitability factors including soil properties, climatic conditions, topography, and accessibility were selected based on the FAO framework and experts’ opinions. A fuzzy analytical hierarchical process (FAHP) was used to determine the weights of the various criteria. The GIS was used to overlay and generate criteria maps and a land suitability map. The study area has been classified into four categories of rice cultivation suitability (highly suitable, suitable, moderately suitable, and unsuitable). The present study has attempted to introduce and use the FAHP method to land suitability analysis and to select lands in order to be used as best as possible. Areas that are classified as highly suitable and suitable for rice cultivation constitute about 59.8% of the total area of the region. The results of the present research indicate that the FAHP is an efficient strategy to increase the accuracy of the weight of the criteria affecting the analysis of land suitability.

Developing an Agro-Ecological Zoning Model for Tumbleweed (Salsola kali), as Energy Crop in Drylands of Argentina

Abstract Salsola kali is considered extremely valuable as an energy crop worldwide because it adapts easily to environments with strong abiotic stresses (hydric, saline and alkaline) and produces large amounts of biomass in drylands. This species is categorized as an important weed in Argentina. The aim of this work was to design an agro-ecological zoning model for tumbleweed in Argentina, employing a Geography Information System. Based on the bioclimatic requirements for the species and the climatic data for Argentina (1981–2010 period), an agro-climatic suitability map was drawn. This map was superimposed on the saline and alkaline soil maps delineated by the Food and Agriculture Organization for dry climates, generating the agro-ecological zoning on a scale of 1 : 500 000. This zoning revealed very suitable and suitable cultivation areas on halomorphic soils. The potential growing areas extend from N of the Salta province (approximately 22° S) to the Santa Cruz province (50° S). The use of tumbleweed on halomorphic soils under semi-arid to arid conditions, for the dual purpose of forage use and source of lignocellulosic material for bioenergy, could improve agricultural productivity in these lands. Furthermore, it could also contribute to their environmental sustainability, since the species can be used to reclaim saline soils over the years. Based on international bibliography, the authors outlined an agro-ecological zoning model. This model may be applied to any part of the world, using the agro-ecological limits presented here.