Suitability zoning of corn in Xinjiang based on MaxEnt model and ArcGIS

【Objective】This study aimed to conduct ecological suitability zoning for corn in Xinjiang based on MaxEnt model and geographic information system （ArcGIS）. By predicting the suitability distribution areas and analyzing the influence of various environmental factors on corn suitability distribution， the research provided scientific basis for formulating proper planting strategies for corn.【Method】The collected corn sample points were imported into ArcGIS， where a 1 km diameter buffer zone was applied for spatial filtering for sample points. A suite of environmental variables， encompassing climate， soil， and topography， was utilized to construct a MaxEnt model characterizing the relationship between corn geological distribution and environmental factors. Model performance was evaluated using the curve of receiver operating characteristic （ROC）. Finally， the reclassify tool within ArcToolbox was employed to categorize the study area into different suitability levels based on the predicted occurrence probabilities.【Result】The results indicated that the top ten environmental factors contributing to the potential distribution of corn were： accumulated temperature ≥10 ℃， slope， precipitation of the coldest season， soil available water capacity， mean temperature of the warmest season， water vapor pressure from January to December， accumulated temperature ≥0 ℃， pH value， maximum temperature of the warmest month， and annual mean temperature， with accumulated contribution rate reaching 89.00%. Environmental factors response curves revealed that optimal accumulated temperature range promoted corn growth， whereas excessive heat exerted an inhibitory effect on its suitability promotion. Corn suitability showed negative correlation with slope and exhibited a fluctuating upward trend as soil available water capacity increased. Corn high-suitability areas in Xinjiang were primarily concentrated along the northern foothills of Tianshan Mountains， Ili River Valley， and parts of Tarim Basin. Moderate-suitability areas were distributed across central and western Xinjiang， including portions of Turpan Basin， Bayingolin Mongol Autonomous Prefecture， and Changji Hui Autonomous Prefecture. Low-suitability areas were widely scattered throughout northwestern Xinjiang and parts of southern Xinjiang， including Altay Prefecture， Kizilsu Kirghiz Autonomous Prefecture， and certain mountainous regions. Unsuitable areas were located in Taklamakan Desert， Gurbantunggut Desert， and partial high-altitude mountain ranges.【Conclusion】The integration of MaxEnt model and ArcGIS facilitate the refined classification of maize suitability zones in Xinjiang. The study confirms that accumulated temperatures ≥10 ℃， slope， precipitation of the coldest season， soil available water capacity， mean temperature of the warmest season， water vapor pressure from January to December， accumulated temperature ≥0 ℃， pH value， maximum temperature of the warmest month， and annual mean temperature are the core environmental factors determining the suitability of corn.