Study of climatic suitability for farming autumn sugar beet in Northern, Southern and Razavi Khorasan provinces using Geographic Information System (GIS)

The main objective of this study was to determine the potential areas for autumn sugar beet planting in North- and South Khorasan as well as Khorasan-e Razavi provinces with respect to some of its effective variables. For this purpose, meteorological data was collected from the Meteorological Office of the provinces for the stations of the region during 2005-2015, and then, using ArcGIS software, descriptive information was added to the maps. According to the required climate of sugar beet crop based on a hierarchial decision making model, parameter weight  and importance of each layer were determined by EXPERT CHOICE software. Among the criteria for decision making, bolting was the most important factor. Finally, using gravity overlapping operation in GIS, zoning of suitable areas for autumn sugar beet planting was carried out. According to the final map of the zoning, 9.71% of these provinces were classified as first class. Following the zoning to evaluate the feasibility of autumn sugar beet planting in Mashhad as a test model, an experiment was conducted in a split-plot based on randomized complete block design with three replications in 2015. This study showed a significant effect of planting date and cultivar on bolting percentage. Due to the results of this study and the final zoning map evaluation, it was shown that this area belongs to the second degree zones, so it seems possible to plant autumn sugar beet using resistant cultivars and selecting suitable lanting date in susceptible (first degree) regions of the studied provinces.