Water scarcity and imbalances in irrigation and drainage are the main factors leading to soil salinization in arid areas. There is a recognized need for effective drainage measures to prevent and improve saline−alkali land. The principal objective of this project was to investigate the effects of drainage measures on soil desalination and farmland drainage in the process of improving saline–alkali soils; these measures included subsurface pipe drainage (SPD) and open ditch drainage (ODD). The results of the tests, conducted over two years, revealed that the soil desalination rate in the SPD test area was between 25.8% and 35.2%, the cotton emergence rate was 36.7%, and a 3.8 t hm⁻² seed cotton yield could be obtained. The soil electrolytic conductivity (EC) decreased step by step over time, and the average annual decrease reached 10 dS m⁻¹. The degree of soil salinization was reduced from a moderately saline soil level (8−15 dS m⁻¹) to a weakly saline soil level (4–8 dS m⁻¹). Thus, the phased goal of improving saline–alkali land was achieved. The soil desalination rate in the ODD test area was only 1/10 of the SPD area; high soil EC (9−12 dS m⁻¹) and groundwater level (2–3 m) were the most limiting factors affecting cotton growth in the ODD test area. The current results show that the critical depth of groundwater level affecting farmland secondary salinization is 4 m. In order to improve the salt discharge standard, SPD technology should be used on the basis of ODD. For salt that has accumulated in the soil for a long time, the technical mode of drip irrigation and leaching, followed by SPD drainage, in combination with the current irrigation system can achieve the goal of sustainable agriculture development.

The factors influencing the effective utilization coefficient of irrigation water are not understood well. It is usually considered that this coefficient is lower in areas with large-scale irrigation. With this background, we analyzed the effective utilization coefficient of irrigation water using the analytic hierarchy process using data from 2014 to 2019 in Shihezi City, Xinjiang. The weights of the influencing factors on the effective utilization coefficient of irrigation water in different irrigation areas were analyzed. Predictions of the coefficient’s values for different years were made by understanding the trends based on the grey model. The results show that the scale of the irrigation area is not the only factor determining the effective utilization coefficient of irrigation water. Irrigation technology, organizational integrity, crop types, water price management, local economic level, and channel seepage prevention are the most critical factors affecting the effective use of irrigation water. The grey model prediction results show that the effective utilization coefficient of farmland irrigation water will continuously increase and reach 0.7204 in 2029. This research can serve as a reference for government authorities to make scientific decisions on water-saving projects in irrigation districts in terms of management, operation, and investment.

To reveal the spatiotemporal patterns of the asymmetry in the Tianshan mountains’ climatic warming, in this study, we analyzed climate and MODIS snow cover data (2001–2019). The change trends of asymmetrical warming, snow depth (SD), snow coverage percentage (SCP), snow cover days (SCD) and snow water equivalent (SWE) in the Tianshan mountains were quantitatively determined, and the influence of asymmetrical warming on the snow cover activity of the Tianshan mountains were discussed. The results showed that the nighttime warming rate (0.10 °C per decade) was greater than the daytime, and that the asymmetrical warming trend may accelerate in the future. The SCP of Tianshan mountain has reduced by 0.9%. This means that for each 0.1 °C increase in temperature, the area of snow cover will reduce by 5.9 km². About 60% of the region’s daytime warming was positively related to SD and SWE, and about 48% of the region’s nighttime warming was negatively related to SD and SWE. Temperature increases were concentrated mainly in the Pamir Plateau southwest of Tianshan at high altitudes and in the Turpan and Hami basins in the east. In the future, the western and eastern mountainous areas of the Tianshan will continue to show a warming trend, while the central mountainous areas of the Tianshan mountains will mainly show a cooling trend.