Abstract: 【Objective】 to study the effects of different drip irrigation rates on the quality components of cultivated licorice roots in desert areas， and to explore the physiological mechanism of different drip irrigation rates on the quality components of licorice roots. 【Methods the field experiment was conducted in San Ping farm， Chang Ji Prefecture， Xinjiang， a scientific research and practice base of Xinjiang Agricultural University in 2019. Five drip irrigation levels such as X₀ （0 m³ / hm²）， X₁ （2，500 m³ / hm²）， X₂ （5，000 m³ / hm²）， X₃ （7，500 m³ / hm²） and X₄ （10，000 m³ / hm²） were set to detect and analyze the effects of different drip irrigation levels on the contents of glycyrrhizic acid， glycyrrhizin， polysaccharide， total flavonoids and crude protein in the roots of licorice seedlings. 【Results when the drip irrigation rate was controlled at 2，500-7，500 m³ / hm²， it was conducive to the accumulation of quality components of licorice root. With the increase of drip irrigation rate， the quality components also increased. When the drip irrigation rate was more than 7，500 m³ / hm²， the contents of five quality components decreased significantly， and it was not conducive to the accumulation of quality components when there was no irrigation or excessive irrigation. 【Conclusion in the production of Glycyrrhizauralensis cultivated by drip irrigation in desert area， the quality components of Glycyrrhizauralensis root such as glycyrrhizic acid， glycyrrhizin， total flavonoids， crude protein and polysaccharide are the best when the amount of drip irrigation is controlled at 5，000 m³ / hm².