BACKGROUND: In order to cultivate upland crops in reclaimed land, economically appropriate crops should be selected. Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus L.) is one of the primary sources for inulin in higher plants. The objective of this study was to evaluate and compare growth and inulin of H. tuberosus L. according to the cultivation region in Korea. METHODS AND RESULTS: 21 varieties of H. tuberosus L. were collected in Korea, and then 7 varieties of H. tuberosus L. were selected for this study. To compare growth and inulin, those varieties were cultivated in reclaimed land and upland soils. The growth of H. tuberosus L. significantly decreased when cultivated in reclaimed land. There was an increas at 17.8% in the content of white H. tuberosus L. tuber inulin in reclaimed land. CONCLUSION: The content of inulin in H. tuberosus L. tubers was found to be dependent on cultivation region and tuber color. There was a difference of the inulin content between the tubers with different colors in reclaimed land. Purple tubers of P20 were considered suitable varieties for cultivation in reclaimed land. White tubers of W1 and W8 were also considered suitable varieties for cultivation in reclaimed land.