Abstract: The experiments were conducted from 1996 to 1998 to study the effects of subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) and lateral depth on soil water content, growth and yield of apple in a dryland region of Southern Shanxi Provice. The results showed that water infiltration depth reached 130 cm and width reached 160 cm, which improved water content in deeper soil layers, apple yield increased by 45.7%～99.1%, and flood irrigation increased by 26.6%～101.6%. Compared with control respectively. SDI can promote growth of apple trees and improve the quality of apples, as well as save a lot of water in comparison with flood irrigation. Water distribution patterns were different with different lateral depths, the optimum depth of lateral was 30 cm to 40 cm under soil surface.