This paper focuses on the analysis of the effects of groundwater table control under different irrigation water amounts on the water and salinity balance and on crop yield. Two experimental areas, the Pingluo and Huinong experimental sites, were selected to collect the required data. The agro-hydrological model Soil-Water-Atmosphere-Plant (SWAP) was used to analyse the water flows and salt transport processes for different groundwater levels and irrigation scenarios. Six scenarios, which resulted from different groundwater table regimes combined with different irrigation amounts, were simulated. The results show that high groundwater tables due to the excessive irrigation are the main cause of the large amount of drainage water and low crop yield;reducing irrigation water without a lower groundwater table will not lead to a large reduction of the drainage water, and will reduce the crop yield even more; to lower the groundwater table is a good measure to control the drainage water and increase crop yield.
