Drip irrigation technology has obvious advantages in solving the shortage of agricultural water. The demand for using low-quality water sources for irrigation is becoming urgent. Research on the physical blockage formation has become the main part of solving the emitter blockage in China. The purpose of this study is to investigate the blockage characteristics of the emitters in the drip irrigation system with a low-quality water source and to provide some basis for the anti-clogging measures. Therefore, we configured different concentrations (1.8 g/L, 2.8 g/L, 3.8 g/L) and different particle sizes (0–0.054 mm, 0.054–0.075 mm, 0.075–0.1 mm) of low-quality water sources and carried out drip irrigation tests. The holistic and local characteristics of the physical blockage occurrence and distribution were compared under the sand-laden water source irrigation, then the structure and element composition of the blockage material were analyzed. The results show that the clogging characteristics are related to the emitter types, sediment content, and sediment particle size. The higher sediment concentration means that the single emitter is more likely to be blocked completely, and the whole clogging development is short and quick. However, at lower sediment concentration treatments, the probability of complete clogging decreases, and the clogging process is uniform and slow. The blockage position of large flow channel emitters (E1) appears at the head and middle of the drip irrigation tape, and the internal blockage usually occurs at the inlet. The small size channel emitters (E2 and E3) are concentrated in the head and end of drip irrigation tape, and the internal blockage usually occurs in the low-speed zone of the labyrinth channel such as the inlet fence. The internal blocked material is the accumulation structure formed by sediment particles and the coupled precipitation aggregate formed by the reaction of various chemical ions. Among them, the mixing of large and small sediment particles is more inclined to form a stable blocking skeleton structure.

The salinization of cultivated soil in arid zones is a core obstacle restricting the sustainable development of agriculture, particularly in regions like Xinjiang, China, where extreme aridity and intensive irrigation practices exacerbate salt accumulation through evaporation–crystallization cycles. Conventional drip irrigation, while temporarily mitigating surface salinity, often leads to secondary salinization due to elevated water tables and inefficient leaching. Recent studies highlight the potential of integrating drip irrigation with subsurface drainage systems to address these challenges, yet the synergistic mechanisms governing ion transport dynamics, hydrochemical thresholds, and their interaction with crop physiology remain poorly understood. In this study, we analyzed the effects of spring irrigation during the non-fertile period, soil hydrochemistry variations, and salt ion dynamics across three arid agroecosystems in Xinjiang. By coupling drip irrigation with optimized subsurface drainage configurations (burial depths: 1.4–1.6 m; lateral spacing: 20–40 m), we reveal a layer-domain differentiation in salt migration, Cl⁻ and Na⁺ were leached to 40–60 cm depths, while SO₄²⁻ formed a “stagnant salt layer” at 20–40 cm due to soil colloid adsorption. Post-irrigation hydrochemical shifts included a 40% decline in conductivity, emphasizing the risk of adsorbed ion retention. Subsurface drainage systems suppressed capillary-driven salinity resurgence, maintaining salinity at 8–12 g·kg⁻¹ in root zones during critical growth stages. This study establishes a “surface suppression–middle blocking–deep leaching” three-dimensional salinity control model, providing actionable insights for mitigating secondary salinization in arid agroecosystems.

The salt distribution characteristics in arid areas are directly related to the sustainable development of agriculture. We study the characteristics of spatial changes of soil water and salt in farmland under the full anniversary of different culvert pipe arrangements and optimize the salt drainage parameters of underground drains suitable for the local area so as to promote the management of saline and alkaline land in Xinjiang. A subsurface drainpipe salinity test was conducted in the Yanqi Basin (Bayingoleng Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China) to analyze changes in soil water and salt dynamics before and after irrigation-induced salt flushing, assessing the impact of drainpipe deployment parameters. It was found that at a 1.4 m depth of burial, the maximum desalination rates of soil in different soil layers from the subsurface drainpipes in 20, 30, and 40 m spacing plots were 78.28%, 50.91%, and 54.52%, respectively. At a 1.6 m depth of burial, the maximum desalination rates of soil in different soil layers from the subsurface drainpipes in 20, 30, and 40 m spacing plots were 70.94%, 61.27%, and 44.12%. Reasonable deployment of subsurface drainpipes can effectively reduce soil salinity, increase the desalination rate, and improve soil water salinity condition. This study reveals the influence of the laying parameters of subsurface drainpipes on soil water salinity distribution characteristics in arid zones, which provides theoretical support and practical guidance for the management of soil salinization in arid zones.