Abstract:In this study, three widely cultivated rice cultivars in Ningxia, namely Fuyuan No.4, Ningjing No.41,and Ningjing No.57, were used as experimental materials. Under two cultivation methods(watering after sowing and dry direct seeding with soil moisture preservation), four saline-alkali stress gradients(control, mild, moderate,and severe saline-alkali stress) were set to investigate the changes in protein and amino acid contents in rice grains under saline-alkali stress. Additionally, pot planting was conducted as an auxiliary treatment. The results showed that: Under the four saline-alkali stress gradients, the yield of all three rice cultivars decreased with the increase of saline-alkali stress intensity across the cultivation methods. Specifically, under the watering-aftersowing method, compared with Fuyuan No.4 and Ningjing No.41, Ningjing No.57 exhibited a more significant increase in protein content and an upward trend in amino acid content. It also showed stronger osmotic adjustment capacity and resistance to adverse environments, indicating superior saline-alkali tolerance. Furthermore, compared with the dry direct seeding with soil moisture preservation method, Fuyuan No.4 under the watering-aftersowing method had higher amino acid and protein contents, resulting in better nutritional quality. Therefore,Fuyuan No.4 is more suitable for the watering-after-sowing cultivation method.