Evaluation of the suitability of large scale plantations of cultivated Puer tea in Yunnan Province based on GIS.

A suitability evaluation model for planting cultivated types of Puer tea on a large scale,using Yunnan Province(the birth place of Puer tea) as our study area,was developed based on geographic information system(GIS) data.After a comprehensive consideration of the natural and social conditions,we analyzed suitability,area and spatial distribution of the land in the most suitable regions.The results show that the model is used friendly and can provide spatial information of land both directly and quantitatively.A total of 6 400 km2 suitable regions in Yunnan Province were found,accounting for 1.68% of the total area,suggesting a greater development potential for large-scale plantations of cultivated Puer tea.Natural conditions are the key factors determining the quality and value of Puer tea,which has become a unique geography signature product of Yunnan Province.