Abstract: Farmland soil moisture is an important index for agricultural condition monitoring, which plays a vital role in crop growth. Timely and accurately grasp of spatial distribution information of soil moisture is great significance for timely and appropriate irrigation and improving agricultural water use efficiency. In this research, the influencing factors of soil moisture were analyzed, based on the collection, organization and analysis of relevant literatures at home and abroad. The application status of traditional soil moisture monitoring technology, remote sensing technology and soil moisture prediction technology were also summarized. Furthermore, the exploration on precision irrigation management of farmland were discussed. This review may provide useful reference to precision irrigation management of crops in the future, and promote the high-quality development of water saving agriculture in dryland.