Abstract: In North China the cultivation of rice was greatly limited on account of the lack of sweet water for irrigation. After the liberation in 1949 the cultivated area for the rice has increased immensely owing to the construction of the irrigation system. However, the problem of water shortage for irrigation has not been solved entirely. Therefore, the adequate utilization of the saline-akaline water for the cultivation of rice is an important problem. In 1958 experiments dealing with the rational utilization of the salineakaline water for parrial irrigation have been undertaken. The salineakaline water at different concentrations was used for irrigation at different stages of the development of the rice plant. From observations made on the shoot apex, the following conclusions may be drawn: 1. The tolerance to the saline water of the rice plant varies with the stage of development, the earlier the stage the less the tolerance. Thus in case of water shortage, different concentrations of saline-akaline water in accordance with the stage of development may be used for temporary irrigation. In time of resuming growth in early spring the concentration of the salt should not exceed 0.1%, in the stage of tillering, 0.2%, and in the shooting stage 0.4%. Rational temporary irrigation at the above mentioned concentrations would not affect the development of the shoot apex of the rice plant. 2. The rice plant does not tolerate the saline water over 0.1% for long time irrigation. The development of the shoot apex and the formation of the panicle will be severely affected.