Evaluation of the suitability of potato cultivation areas in South Korea based on climate and soil conditions.

Background: Changes in dietary patterns have led to a decrease in rice consumption, raising demands for the cultivation of alternative crops that meet the current requirements. Potatoes are highly productive and can be stored for a relatively long period, thereby ensuring adequate income for farmers; however, optimal cultivation is necessary to maximize yield.
Objective: This study proposes optimal cultivation regions for potato considering climate and soil conditions.
Materials and Methods: The CLIMEX model was developed to evaluate climatic suitability, while the soil suitability was scored based on five soil characteristics. The final areal suitability for potato cultivation was classified into 4 levels: very suitable, suitable, marginal, and unsuitable.
Results: Overall, 36.5% of South Korea had very suitable climate, but areas with the best values for soil conditions were approximately 10% of the climatically suitable areas. When considering the climate and soil conditions simultaneously, climatic suitability and soil condition were inversely related, resulting in only 1.2% of optimal areas with Jeju Island as the most suitable area.
Conclusions: Because both climate and soil conditions need to be suitable for growing crops, this study can provide potential paddy-cultivation areas for potato cultivation and a method for evaluating suitable areas for crop cultivation.
Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.
(© 2022 The Author(s). Published by IMR Press.)