[Objective] Revealing the soil moisture characteristics and its response to land use change on Luochuan loess tableland, to provide scientific bases for optimizing land use structure and soil water management on the Loess Plateau.[Methods] Moisture contents in 0-10 m soil profiles under farmland, grassland, apple orchards with different ages (8, 11, 13, 15, 24, 28, and 30 years old) were measured, respectively. Then this paper contrasted and analyzed the characteristics of soil moisture content, soil moisture storage and the desiccation of deep soil layer in various sampling sites.[Results] ① The average soil water contents of different land use types in 0-10 m layer have an order as grassland > farmland≈8-year-old apple orchard > 13-year-old apple orchard≈15-year-old apple orchard > 24-year-old apple orchard≈30-year-old apple orchard > 28-year-old apple orchard. Soil moisture decreased with the increase of soil depth under apple orchard with apple trees older than 24 years, while it increased with the increase of depth in other sampling sites. ② Compared with farmland, the decrease magnitudes of soil moisture within 4-10 m layer were greater than those in 0-4 m layer under apple orchards, and the differences between the two layers got increasing in older apple orchard. ③ The transformation of farmland and grassland into apple orchard can cause soil water storage gradually decreasing and hence worsen water deficit, which might account for 12%~46% of the field capacity. ④ 24-year, 28-year and 30-year orchards caused mild or moderate desiccation with different thickness.[Conclusion] After farmlands and grasslands were turned into apple orchards, the soil water deficit appeared to some degree, and resulted in different thickness of dry layer.