Abstract: The daily average temperature, rainfall, sunshine hours and wind speed of the four national meteorological stations in the growing season （april-september） from 1981 to 2018 in the Qaidam basin were used to calculate the accumulated temperature, days of accumulated temperature and frost days ≥ 0 ℃, and the relative wetter index was calculated. The results showed that the heat resources increased significantly in the growing season, the average temperature, active accumulated temperature ≥ 0 ℃ and the number of days with active accumulated temperature increased significantly, and the climate trend rate reached 0.43 ℃/10a, 77.86 ℃/10a and 0.39 d/10a, respectively. The precipitation in the growing season and the number of precipitation days showed an increasing trend with the rates of 17.08 mm/10a and 1.64 d/10a, respectively. The climatic trend rates of sunshine hours, mean wind speed and frost days were significantly reduced with -38.77 h/10a, -0.17 m/（s· 10a） and -0.71 d/10a, respectively. Crop growing season average temperature between 1991 and 1992 mutations, the temperature by relatively cold period into a relatively warm period, the temperature before and after the mutation precipitation and accumulated temperature 0 ℃ or higher activity significantly increased, sunshine time, wind and frost days decreased obviously, and rainy days, acuity 0 ℃ accumulated temperature time and relatively humid index change was not obvious.

Key words: crops, the growing season, Qaidam basin, climate, spatial and temporal variation