To explore highly beneficial use of saline-alkali reed marshlands, an eco-agriculture model consisting of reeds, crabs, spotted mandarin fish and microlepido yellowtail was developed and tested in a 23.6 ha^-1 marshland. The model tamed and cultured crabs, spotted mandarin fish and microlepido yellowtail in saline-alkali water with natural food supply. The model also involved farmland water conservancy projects, water quantity and quality management and reeds high-output cultivation.

The results for 2006-2009 showed that outputs of crabs, spotted mandarin fish and microlepido yellowtail were 81.00 kg·ha⁻¹, 39.34 kg·ha⁻¹ and 58.62 kg·ha⁻¹, respectively. Reed output was 5,478 kg·ha⁻¹, which represented an increase of 22.0% per year over natural marshlands. The total economic benefit from the model was 14,500 Yuan per hectare, an increase of 13 times over natural marshlands. Water salinity, alkalinity and soil salt content respectively declined by 19.1%, 10.3% and 20.3%. Soil organic matter content also increased by 8.9% per year. The model increased per-capita net income by 11.2% per year, which represented a contribution rate of 43% to increase of per-capita net income.

The findings suggested that the model application further enhanced the functions of production and ecology of soda saline-alkali reed marshlands. The model achieved simultaneous benefits for the economy, ecology and society, and was therefore applicable to soda saline-alkali reed marshlands.