Feasibility Study of Agroclimatic Suitability for Jujube (Ziziphus jujuba L.) Cultivation Development in Sistan Region

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Department of Agronomy and Plant Breeding, Agriculture Institute, Research Institute of Zabol, Iran

2 Department of Agricultural Science, Technical and Vocational University, Tehran, Iran

10.22126/atic.2026.12821.1238

Abstract

The Sistan region in southeastern Iran faces unprecedented agricultural challenges due to persistent severe droughts, limited water resources, and the 120-day winds. Introducing resilient and economically viable plant species is a critical strategy for ensuring sustainable production, conserving scarce water resources, and enhancing the resilience of local communities. This study aims to identify and assess the suitability of lands for jujube cultivation in the Sistan region using remote sensing (RS), geographic information systems (GIS), and geostatistical and analytical techniques. The research was conducted in five consecutive steps: 1) creating a database of climatic, land use, topographic, and soil characteristics of the Sistan region; 2) determining the agroclimatic characteristics and growth cycle patterns of jujube suitable for Sistan’s conditions; 3) modeling and zoning the phenological stages of jujube; 4) calculating and analyzing spatial agroclimatic indices; and 5) integrating effective climatic and edaphic layers using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) in the ArcGIS environment. The results indicate that the jujube growth cycle in Sistan’s climate is heavily influenced by high temperatures and moisture limitations. The base temperature for bud growth initiation is 7°C in this region, but the timing of phenological stages is significantly affected by early heat. Spatial analyses revealed that, due to harsh climatic conditions, only a small portion of the region’s lands (approximately 5%) is highly suitable, a limited portion (approximately 15%) is moderately to well-suited, a significant portion (approximately 30%) has low suitability, and the majority (approximately 50%) is unsuitable for jujube cultivation aimed at producing high-yield and high-quality fruit. This protocol, emphasizing the need for accurate regional data collection, can serve as a technical guide for developing the cultivation of economically resilient species in extremely arid regions with multiple stresses, such as Sistan.

Graphical Abstract

Feasibility Study of Agroclimatic Suitability for Jujube (Ziziphus jujuba L.) Cultivation Development in Sistan Region

Highlights

  • Agroclimatic suitability for jujube cultivation was mapped across Sistan using remote sensing, GIS, geostatistics, and AHP.
  • A base temperature of 7 °C was identified for jujube bud growth initiation under Sistan conditions.
  • High temperatures accelerated jujube growth and phenological development in Sistan.
  • Temperatures above 38 °C during flowering and ripening posed major constraints on fruit quality and yield.
  • Only 5% of Sistan was highly suitable for jujube cultivation, while 50% was unsuitable.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

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Agrotechniques in Industrial Crops

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 05 October 2026

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