Eight residual film gradients of 150 kg·hm^-2（T1）, 230 kg·hm^-2（T2）, 465 kg·hm^-2（T3）,857 kg·hm^-2（T4）, 1 250 kg·hm^-2（T5）, 1 640 kg·hm^-2（T6）, in situ soil 512 kg·hm^-2（CK1） and no plastic film residue (CK2) were set up to determine the effects of different amount of residual film on soil water and salt transport and cotton growth and development. The soil volume moisture content, salt change dynamics after irrigation, plant height, stem diameter, leaf area and yield of cotton during the whole growth period were measured. The results showed that with the increase of the amount of residual film, the soil volume moisture content of 0~60 cm profile gradually decreased, and among them, 0~20 cm soil volume moisture content decreased the most. At the flowering and bolling stage, the soil salt content increased gradually with the increase of days after irrigation, and the more residual film, the more uneven salt distribution. The plant height, stem diameter leaf area and yield of cotton decreased with the increase of residual film amount. When the residual film amount was 150 kg·hm^-2, the plant height, stem diameter, leaf area and yield of cotton reached the maximum. When the amount of residual film was greater than 857 kg·hm^-2, the height, stem diameter, leaf area and yield of cotton decreased greatly. Therefore, too much residual film affected the soil moisture and salt movement and the growth and yield of cotton, which was not conducive to the healthy development of the crop.