Abstract: Cistanche deserticola is an endangered wild species adapting to growing in arid or semiarid area. This species is traditionally used in many countries as a tonic, and it has been currently planted as a new cultivated plant species in northwest China. In order to improve the cultivation technical level of C. deserticola,many cultivation experiments under drip irrigation with saline water were carried out in the hinterland of the Taklimakan Desert, including the different ditch and seeding ways, different inoculation depths and technology of stably increasing yield. The results of this study are as follows:(1) It is an effective way of improving the inoculation rate to increase the contacting rate of C. deserticola seeds with the hostplant roots, and the harvested biomass of C. deserticola under different cultivation ways was in orders of ditching seeding >holing seeding >digging seeding, and broad seeding >line seeding with seeding paperboard;(2) The harvested biomass of C. deserticola was increased with the increase of seeding amount under ditching seeding and broad seeding, but there was a upper limit, and the suitable seeding amount is 300 seeds/m under drip irrigation in sand;(3) Considering the cultivation ways and their cost, the inoculation depth should be kept in the main areas of the hostplant roots, and the depth should be shallower than 60 cm under drip irrigation in sand;(4) Once C. deserticola was inoculated, it could be harvested repeatedly. However, the harvested biomass of C. deserticola differed remarkably from different years, and the first three years were the main harvest time. The harvested biomass of C. deserticola could keep over 1 plant/m, and the economic income of cultivated C. deserticola was very remarkable since its fresh yield was as high as 1 800 kg/hm² in average.

Key words: Cistanche deserticola, inoculation, drip irrigation, Taklimakan Desert