Agro-Climatic Suitability of Purslane (<i>Portulaca oleracea</i> L.) under Abiotic Stress in Semiarid—Arid Zone in North America

To ensure the efficient use of resources, particularly in water-scarce arid and semi-arid regions where abiotic stress threatens food security, assessing soil and climate suitability for specific crops is crucial. Simultaneously, food production must align with sustainable development goals by minimizing negative environmental impacts. Therefore, establishing agro-climatic suitability using a spatiotemporal approach is essential. This involves three key steps: first, determining the climatically appropriate months based on the species’ requirements (temporal suitability), and second, establishing the soil suitability of specific plots (spatial suitability). Following this, quantifying crop evapotranspiration allows for optimized water use. This study used climatic and soil variables from diverse data sources to characterize the study area. Subsequently, suitability classes for Portulaca oleracea were determined based on existing literature. Our analysis concerning temporal suitability revealed that June and July are the optimal months for sowing this species in all of the municipalities. Spatially, approximately 30% of the agricultural land use of the study area exhibits a highly suitable class in most municipalities. Both dimensions, the temporal and the spatially, were validated through Chi square (χ2) Goodness-of-Fit test and the χ2 test of independence, respectively. Consequently, for a one-month production cycle during periods of high suitability, estimated evapotranspiration values are between 210 and 245 mm. In brief, the study area demonstrates favorable agro-climatic conditions for P. oleracea cultivation in specific months of the year according to parameters used, with potential in a large proportion of agricultural land and achievable water requirements.