Climatic suitability regionalization of Furong plums based on GIS in Fujian Province

Fujian is located on the southeast coast of China, where superior climatic resources create conditions for the cultivation of Furong plums. However, the topography of Fujian is complex, the climate is changeable, and meteorological disasters in Fujian are of many different types and characterized by wide distribution, high frequency, high intensity, and heavy losses, which affect the yield and quality of Furong plums. To reasonably utilize climatic resources and scientifically plan the planting layout of Furong plums, climatic suitability regionalization of Furong plums in Fujian was conducted using GIS and based on meteorological data from 1971 to 2018 from 67 ground meteorological stations, area and yield data from 2005 to 2014 of Furong plums, and geographical information data. Based on the climatic characteristics of Fujian and the growing environmental conditions of the Furong plums, an indicator system for the climatic suitability regionalization of the Furong plums was established. The weights of the regionalization indicators were calculated using the analytic hierarchy process and the entropy weight method. Geographical reckoning models between the regionalization indicators, longitude, latitude, and altitude were established using multivariate linear regression analysis. The climatic suitability index of the Furong plums was calculated using the weighted summation method. The climatic suitability areas of Furong plums in Fujian were divided into suitable, sub-suitable, and unsuitable areas based on the distribution laws of the climatic suitability index, the actual conditions of growth and field investigation of Furong plums in Fujian, and the regionalization result of the regionalization indicator for limiting the growth of Furong plums. Finally, the regionalization results were verified based on the planting status of Furong plums and the per-unit area yield of the plums. The results of this study were as follows: The suitable areas were mainly distributed in the middle- and high-altitude areas of north of Longyan and Fuzhou, and most of Ningde, Sanming, and Nanping. The sub-suitable areas were mainly distributed in the middle of Fujian along Wuping and Zhangping to Luoyuan. The unsuitable areas were mainly concentrated in the low-altitude areas along the south and southeast coasts and the high-altitude areas of the northern mountain regions. The regionalization results were in good agreement with the planting status of Furong plums and the per-unit area yield of plums. The results of this study provide a decision reference for the planting of Furong plums in Fujian.