Field plot experiments were conducted with six treatments including no returning to the? field （CK）， returning cotton straw to field （P1）， returning maize straw to field （P2）， returning rapeseed straw to field （P3）， returning cotton straw+maize straw to field （P12）； returning cotton straw + rapeseed straw to field （P13） to study the effects of returning straw to field on reducing salt and retaining water in saline-alkali soil of Xinjiang. The effect of each treatment on the content of water， electrical conductivity， desalination rate， base ions， water use efficiency， and yield of the 0-60 cm soil layer during the whole growth period of cotton was measured. The results showed that treatment P12 and P13 enhanced the water storage capacity in soil compared to other treatments. The difference of the content of water decreased gradually with the increase of soil depth. Compared with CK treatment， the content of water in soil of treatment P12 and P13 increased by 3.78%-15.03% and 5.06%-18.23%， respectively. During the whole growth period of cotton，treatment P12 and P13 increased the desalting rate of 0-20 cm soil layer. Compared with CK treatment，the conductivity of treatment P12 and P13 decreased by 3.54%-39.27% and 17.83%-40.01%， respectively. The content of base ions in soil exhibited a pattern of Na⁺>Ca²⁺>K⁺>Mg²⁺. The content of Na⁺， K⁺， Mg²⁺ in the base ions had the property of surface aggregation. The results of correlation analysis showed that the regulation of soil water and salt environment including the content of water， electrical conductivity， desalination rate in cotton fields increased the water use efficiency and the yield of crop. It is indicated that treatment P12 and P13 can significantly enhance water holding capacity in soil and improve salt distribution in soil during the whole growth period of cotton compared to other treatments. It will provide reference for the improvement of saline-alkali soil in Xinjiang region.