Abstract:Liaoning Province is a major province for blueberry cultivation. Research on suitable areas for blueberries can provide a certain theoretical basis for the development planning of the blueberry industry, strengthening the utilisation of local agricultural climate resources, improving the yield and quality of blueberries, and increasing economic benefits. In this study, the northern high bush blueberry is the main research object. Based on its biological characteristics and environmental requirements, an evaluation index system for potential suitable areas for blueberries in Liaoning Province is being established, which includes 11 indicators from three aspects: terrain, soil and climate. The Analytic Hierarchy Process, Geographic Information System spatial analysis technology and systematic cluster analysis are used to study the potential suitability of blueberry regionalising in Liaoning Province. The results are as follows: (1) The suitable planting areas for blueberries based on terrain, soil and climate account for 81.68%, 60.86% and 78.16% of the total area of Liaoning Province, respectively. Soil conditions have an obvious limiting effect on the potential distribution of blueberries, mainly due to the high soil pH and low suitability level of EC value in some areas, which make soil improvement difficult. (2) From the comprehensive regionalising point of view, the suitable area for blueberries in Liaoning Province is about 7.628×104 km2, accounting for 51.54% of the total area of Liaoning Province, which is primarily distributed in the Liaodong Peninsula, the Liaohe Plain and the western coastal area of the Liaodong Bay, among which the most suitable area is primarily distributed in the middle of Liaohe Plain, the southern part of the Liaodong Peninsula and a few coastal areas in the western part of the Liaodong Bay. It should be noted that as the main grainproducing area, Liaohe Plain is not recommended for largescale development of the blueberry industry, so it is suggested that the Liaodong Peninsula and western coastal areas of the Liaodong Bay should be the key areas for the development of the blueberry industry in Liaoning Province. (3) The 59 counties (cities) in Liaoning Province are divided into three subregions with potential suitability and two subregions with nonsuitability. The first subregion of potential suitability has apparent planting advantages in terms of natural conditions and the other conditions are more suitable except for slightly lower winter low temperature; the planting conditions for blueberries in Subregion 2 of nonsuitable areas are the least ideal, and the main restriction factors are high soil pH or low winter temperature, so it is not recommended to develop the blueberry industry. (4) In practical application, the results of comprehensive regionalization and secondary regionalization of suitable areas should be combined to determine the overall suitability of each county (city) district based on secondary regionalization of suitable areas, and then conduct a detailed investigation of each county (city) district based on comprehensive regionalization to analyse and judge the planting advantages and constraints of each region before making scientific decisions. The regionalization results are in good agreement with the existing blueberry growing areas, which can provide a scientific basis for blueberry industry planning in Liaoning Province.
