Analysis of Climate Suitability Changes for Soybean Cultivation in Liaoning Province

Liaoning Province,a key soybean-producing and climate-sensitive region in China,is increasingly affected by climate change on soybean cultivation.This study investigates the impact of climatic variability on soybean climatic suitability by analyzing meteorological and phenological data from 52 weather stations across the province.The analysis compares the recent climatic normal (1991-2020) with the previous period (1981-2010),using a comprehensive climatic suitability model that integrates temperature,precipitation,and sunshine duration to evaluate spatiotemporal changes.Results show that 94% of regions experienced improved temperature suitability during the growing season,with statistically significant increases in half of these areas.In contrast,61% of regions exhibited a decline in precipitation suitability,while sunshine suitability presented mixed trends,with 50% of areas showing improvement and 50% showing deterioration.Overall,65% of regions demonstrated enhanced comprehensive climatic suitability,shifting from a non-significant decline under the old normal to a non-significant upward trend under the new normal,with favorable conditions expanding across most of Liaoning.Among the three climatic factors,sunshine duration contributed most significantly to overall suitability,followed by temperature and precipitation.In conclusion,although precipitation suitability declined and sunshine suitability exhibited equal proportions of improvement and deterioration,the overall climatic suitability for soybean cultivation in Liaoning has improved,largely due to increased temperature suitability.Strategic expansion of soybean cultivation,tailored to regional climatic characteristics and meteorological risks,is recommended to strengthen production resilience under future climate scenarios.