Modeling the Influence of Seasonal Climate Variability on Soybean Yield in a Temperate Environment: South Korea as a Case Study

Korea’s agriculture system has been significantly influenced by climate change over the years. The uncertainties of climate change and variability are important considerations to respond to increasing food demand around the world. There is limited information on the impact of climate variability on soybean yield in temperate regions generally, and Korea in particular. This study, therefore, sought to identify the impact of seasonal climate variability on soybean yield in Korea. Specifically, the study analyzed soybean yield characteristics in Korea’s temperate climate using statistical techniques, evaluated climate features over the study period (1979–2016) using the Mann–Kendall test and Sen’s slope analysis, analyzed the relationship between yield and climatic variables through correlation analysis, and built a statistical model using significant climatic variables. Results showed that climate variability significantly influenced soybean yield in Korea with an R² value of 0.455 and significant at P ≤ 0.05, implying that the climatic variables accounted for 45.5% of the variation in soybean yield. The results confirm the significant role played by climate on the yield of soybean in Korea, thus assisting in the development of adequate adaptation and mitigation strategies by farmers and policy makers alike, based on this credible knowledge. In addition, the soybean crop has increasingly become an important crop in Korea over the years, hence research as this, geared towards improvement of soybean production in the face of changing climate is of utmost priority as we aim to sustain and improve food security.