Abstract:Aiming to reveal the characteristics of water and salt transport and the effects of salt control and alkali reduction in soda saline-alkali land of Northeast China under shallow dense ditch drainage, the experiment was conducted in a typical soda saline-alkali farmland in Daqing City, Heilongjiang Province. Two treatments were set up, including the shallow dense ditch drainage treatment and the non-ditched control (CK). Indicators such as soil water content (SWC), soil salt content (SSC), pH value, exchangeable sodium ion (Na+) content, and total exchangeable cations content in the 0~100 cm soil layer were monitored, and the interaction effects among soil indicators were quantified by using a structural equation model (SEM). The results showed that the installation of shallow dense ditches significantly altered the water and salt distribution characteristics of the soil profile. The SWC of the plow layer (0~40 cm) was significantly higher than that of the deep soil layer. After ditching, the SWC of the 0~100 cm soil layer was generally increased, with an expanded fluctuation range. In the ditched area, the field soil salinity showed a distinct dynamic trend, which generally followed a "decrease---increase---decrease" pattern from June to October. In June, the average field SSC was decreased to 7.18 g/kg, a 46.97% reduction compared with the pre-ditching level;the average SSC reached 9.00 g/kg in July, 33.53% lower than that before ditching;it dropped to 7.74 g/kg in August, a 42.84% reduction from the pre-ditching level, and remained at 8.00~9.00 g/kg in September and October. The overall level of field soil salinity was significantly reduced after ditching, with a relatively stable reduction magnitude in each period. In June, the exchangeable sodium percentage in the ditched area was decreased by 35.56% compared with the pre-ditching level, while that in the non-ditched control area was increased by 17.27%. From July to October, the ESP in the ditched area stabilized at 23.23%~37.17%, which was consistently lower than the recorded value of 41.52%~52.58% in the non-ditched control area. SEM path analysis revealed that the ditching measure enhanced the replenishment of soil water by rainfall and the salt leaching effect of rainfall, alleviated the synergistic increasing trend of field soil salinity, ESP and pH value, and evaporation exhibited an inhibitory effect on soil alkalization. Comprehensive research results indicated that the application of shallow dense ditch measures in saline rain-fed dry farmland of the Songnen Plain can effectively reduce the risk of soil salt surface accumulation and the aggravation of soil alkalization, thus realizing the sustainable utilization of saline-alkali soil.