Soil salinization has become more and more severe in arid regions. Make an appropriate irrigation regimes to leaching soil salinity is a key scientific issue under drip irrigation in the silt loam soil in arid region. A 3-year field experiment was carried out to investigate the effects of different drip irrigation regimes on soil salinity distribution and cotton yield at Akesu agricultural ecosystem national scientific research station, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Throughout cotton growing season, the peak cure of soil salt under mulch moved downward with the increases of DIA (drip irrigation amount). The quantity of drip irrigation increased from 3 000 m 3 hm -2 to 4 800 m 3 hm -2, peak value of soil salt moved downward from 35 cm to 65 cm. The results showed that the peak cure of soil salt under mulch decreased in the order 1.6 DIA > 1.4 DIA > 1.2 DIA > DIA after irrigation. At the same time, the peak cure of soil salt under mulch also moved downward with the increases of drip irrigation discharge rates for all treatments except 3.2 L h -1 treatments because of the capability of infiltration of porosity of soil less than the drip irrigation discharge rate. The peak cure of soil salt under mulch decreased in the order 2.6 L h -1 >2.2 L h -1 > 1.8 L h -1 > 3.2 L h -1 after irrigation. The soil salinity moved gradually from deep soil to surface soil and moved slowly from under mulch to inter-mulch simultaneously with elapse time. With the increasing of quantity of drip irrigation or drip irrigation discharge rates, seed yield presenting increased except 1.6 DIA and 3.2 L h -1 treatment. Both water deficit and heavy irrigation will decrease the cotton yield, as well as the high and law drip irrigation discharge rate. Therefore, quantity of drip irrigation of 1.4 DIA and appropriate drip irrigation discharge rate of 2. 6 L h -1 was the best drip irrigation regimes for the higher cotton yield in the silt loam soil in arid region.
