Abstract: Soil salinization is serious in arid regions of Xinjiang. According to the interpretation of remote sensing images of CBERS in 2005 and the data of field investigation, the area of farmland in Xinjiang was 5.05×10⁶ hm², in which the area of salinized farmland was 1.62×10⁶ hm² and occupied 32.07% of the total farmland area and 60% of the medial and lowyield farmland. Soil salinization is a main factor restricting agricultural development in Xinjiang. Salinized farmland is mainly distributed in the regions with high groundwater level, such as the groundwater overflow zone in the marginal zone of alluvial fans, deltas of large rivers, upper and central parts of alluvial plains and lakeside plains of freshwater lakes, where groundwater recharge is abundant, groundwater salinity is not high, waterbearing condition of aquiver is good, pressure water or artesian water is distributed in some regions, and these regions are optimal to utilize groundwater. To exploit groundwater in these areas can not only increase irrigation water volume, solve the shortage of irrigation water in spring and at the irrigation peak time, but can also bring about a drawdown of groundwater level and achieve a steady desalination of salinized farmland.

Key words: soil salinized, soil improvement, groundwater, exploitation and utilization, Xinjiang