Sugar beet is one of the main sugar crops and an important cash crop in the three northern regions of China (Northeast China, North China, and Northwest China). As an arid region, Xinjiang lacks water resources. The establishment of a reasonable drip-irrigation system for sugar beet in Xinjiang can not only achieve the goal of high quality and high yield, but is also crucial for the efficient utilization of water and fertilizer. This research was implemented in the experimental field of the Xinjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences’ Sugar Beet Improvement Center in Manas County, Xinjiang, from the year 2019. Taking ST 15140 sugar beet as the experimental variety, a field study was conducted to investigate the effects of different irrigation and fertilization methods on the yield and sugar content of sugar beets. Ten treatments of two irrigation levels (W1: 4500 m³ ha⁻¹, W2: 5400 m³ ha⁻¹) and five fertilization methods (F1, F2, F3, F4, and F5) were carried out in a randomized block design with three replications. The yield and sugar content; growth indicators such as leaf photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, chlorophyll content and intercellular CO₂ concentration; and fertilizer-use efficiency (nitrogen-use efficiency (NUE), phosphorus-use efficiency (PUE), and potassium-use efficiency (KUE)) during the sugar beet growing seasons were determined. The results indicated that the W1F3 (4500 m³ ha⁻¹, N 229.5 kg ha⁻¹ + P₂O₅ 180 kg ha⁻¹ + K₂O 202.5 kg ha⁻¹ + hydroquinone 229.5 g ha⁻¹) treatment had the highest yield and sugar content of 132.20 Mg ha−1 and 15.61%, respectively. For crop growth indicators, the photosynthetic rate (33.27 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹) and the stomatal conductance (252.67 mmol m⁻² s⁻¹) under W1F3 were both the highest among all of the treatments. The fertilizer-use efficiency in W1F3 was in the following order: KUE > NUE > PUE. The highest KUE (128.10%) and NUE (65.49%) occurred under W1F3 at the sugar accumulation stage of the crop growing season. In addition, K determined the yield and sugar content of sugar beet by influencing growth factors such as the photosynthetic rate, chlorophyll content, intercellular CO₂ concentration, along with the KUE, which explained 30.2%, 5.1%, 10%, and 14.7% of the variation in yield and sugar content, respectively. The results of this study indicated that the application of an inhibitor with optimized-minus-N fertilization under lower irrigation (W1F3) was the optimal treatment. Above all, K determined the yield and sugar contents of sugar beets, emphasizing the pivotal role of K in the growth, physiological processes, and output of sugar beets.

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.

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.