[Objective] Soil moisture characteristics， nutrient changes beneath photovoltaic （PV） panels in rocky desertification areas， and their key influencing factors were analyzed. The effects of PV panel height and terrain slope on soil physicochemical properties during the dry season were evaluated to provide a scientific basis and theoretical support for ecological restoration and green industry development in this region. [Methods] A PV demonstration base in Shilin Yi Autonomous County， Yunnan Province， which had been under construction for 8 years， was selected as the study area， and soil samples were taken from beneath PV panels of differing heights （high panel： front eave height 2.4 m， rear eave 3.1 m； low panel： front eave height 0.5 m， rear eave 1.2 m； tilt angle of 24°） on both flat slopes and steep slopes during drought period. The responses of soil moisture and nutrients to PV panel heights in association with different slope gradients were analyzed using analysis of variance （ANOVA） and redundancy analysis （RDA）. [Results] ① In karst rocky desertification areas during the dry season， PV panel height significantly influenced soil moisture and nutrient content （p<0.05）. Compared with non-shaded areas， PV panel shading was associated with significantly increased soil volumetric water content， saturated water-holding capacity， capillary water-holding capacity， and field capacity. Notably， soil moisture levels beneath low PV panels on shallow terrain gradients were consistently higher than those at the other sampling sites. ② Soil total nitrogen （TN） and total phosphorus （TP） contents exhibited significant decreases with increasing PV panel height throughout the dry season， and displayed maximum values beneath low PV panels on flat slopes. However， soil organic carbon （SOC） content in shaded areas decreased by 35% compared with control regions by the end of the drought period. ③ Correlation analysis revealed that PV panel installation primarily altered soil bulk density， porosity， pH value， and enzyme activities， thereby driving changes in soil moisture and nutrient characteristics. [Conclusion] The construction of low-PV panels in rocky desertification areas during the dry season was more conducive to reducing water evaporation and fixing nutrients compared to high-PV panels， especially in flat slope areas.