Molecular Soil Biology 2025, Vol.16, No.6, 306-313 http://bioscipublisher.com/index.php/msb 307 2 Description of the Study Area and Experimental Conditions 2.1 Geographic location and climatic characteristics In arid areas of northwest China, such as the Hexi Oasis irrigation zone, the main potato growing period is from April to September. The average temperature in July is around 20 ℃. The climate is typical temperate continental or semi-arid monsoon type. It has large day–night temperature differences and high evaporation demand. According to the data from 87 meteorological stations in Gansu Province over the past 50 years, potatoes need water the most in June and July. The average rainfall in these two months was only 140 millimeters. For every additional millimeter of rainfall, the yield of potatoes can increase by 30 to 60 kilograms per hectare (Lu et al., 2025). At the same time, the average July temperature has increased at a rate of 0.55 ℃per decade. The annual accumulated temperature above 10 ℃reaches 2 917 ℃. This means heat resources are generally enough, and rainfall becomes the main limiting factor. The temperature in February and March had a significant impact on the sowing time of spring potatoes at 12 locations in South Korea. During the main growing period from April to June, the differences in temperature and rainfall among various regions are relatively small. The yield range is 22.5 to 35.0 t/ha. Under the humid temperate climate conditions, the balance of climatic conditions during the growing season can reduce the yield differences between regions (Park et al., 2025). 2.2 Soil properties In the oasis areas of northwest China and some irrigated agricultural areas in Africa, the soil in these regions is mostly deep sandy loam or sandy clay loam. This type of soil has good water permeability and also possesses a certain water retention capacity (Li et al., 2025; Sande et al., 2025). In the Tsangano and Angonia regions of Mozambique, the four typical soil profiles investigated all fall within the range of sandy loam to sandy clay loam. The thickness of the soil layer is generally over 150 centimeters, and the soil bulk density ranges from 0.78 to 1.30 Mg/m³. Among them, the effective water holding capacity of the TSA-P02 profile is relatively high, reaching 182 mm/m.In terms of chemical properties, the pH values of these soils range from 5.6 to 7.9, and the cation exchange capacity is 10.1 to 11.33 cmol(+)/kg. Due to the low nutrient levels, this type of soil is generally classified as "barely suitable" (S3f). Although the physical conditions of the soil are good and its water supply capacity is strong, insufficient fertility remains the main limiting factor. Nutrient management must be strengthened in the later stage (Sande et al., 2025) (Figure 1). At the national scale in Slovakia, major potato production areas are mainly Cambisols, Chernozems, and Fluvisols. Soil texture is mostly loam, with 30%~45% particles smaller than 0.01 mm. Soil depth is greater than 0.6 m, and slope ranges from 0 to 3°. This soil combination provides good aeration and high water-holding capacity and is classified as the most suitable type (Koco et al., 2020). Figure 1 Soil characterization and suitability assessment for Irish potato cultivation (Adapted from Sande et al., 2025)
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