The impact of climate on the productivity of mulberry trees in Babylon Governorate for the period (2019-2023)

The decline in the productivity of mulberry trees in Iraq during the study period is one of the important problems that many agricultural areas in Iraq suffer from, including Babil Governorate. The reason for this is the lack of suitable climatic conditions for its cultivation and the neglect of mulberry orchards by farmers, in addition to the lack of climatic studies that dealt with this tree with analysis and description and the change in the planting date to prove the decline in its cultivation in most areas of Iraq in recent years. The study showed the variation in the fruitful numbers of mulberry trees in Babil Governorate by investigating their numbers in its districts and sub-districts, as the highest total of fruitful trees in 2019 reached about (4320) trees, the lowest in 2023 reached (1500) trees. As for the productivity values, they reached their maximum in 2019 at 156,550 kg, followed by 2021 at about 149,130 kg, and the lowest in 2023 at 52,500 kg. The study demonstrated within its folds the most important Climatic controls have both positive and negative influences on the growth and decline of mulberry cultivation in the study area. Therefore, our study aims to shed light on this type of fruit tree through three sections. The first section includes the conceptual framework, botanical description, and diseases affecting mulberry trees. The second section addresses the climatic characteristics of Babil Governorate and its compatibility with the climatic requirements of mulberry trees. The third section discusses the variation in mulberry tree numbers and productivity from 2019 to 2023, identifying the most important problems facing its cultivation, and concluding with sources.