Abstract: The experiment of surface mulch at sandy land orchard in semi-arid desert steppe showed that: ①mulching dry wheat straw with thickness of 25 cm(45t·hm^-2) reduced the cost of fruit production about 3000 Yuan. hm-2, and increased yield of fruit about 6300 kg·hm^-2 under the condition of three times irrigation minus during growing season compared with orchard without mulching;②mulching also altered the soil thawing time, which can postpone the tree flowering about 7 days. This alternative can decrease effectively the probability of tree flower being freezingly injured (May 1, usually), as a result the stability of orchard production can be improved. Therefore, surface mulch is recommended to be used extensively in the management of orchard in semi-arid sandy land.

Key words: semi-arid sandy land, desert steppe, orchard, surface mulch