Soil is composed of particles of different sizes and shapes, among which clay mineral is one of the important parts of soil. It not only contains the formation track, genetic characteristics and changes of soil environment, but also plays a role in retaining and storing nutrients and water in soil. At the same time, due to the fact that different types of clay mineral compositions of the soil are not the same, different ways of using and long-term locating fertilization will have an effect on the evolution of soil clay minerals, so the research on soil clay mineral composition and evolution law can contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of the genetic regularity between different types of soil, which is of great significance to explore the sustainability of soil fertility. At present the study of soil clay minerals has become one of the focus in the study of green agriculture, X-ray Diffraction analysis (X-Ray Diffraction, XRD) as the research of soil clay minerals, the most effective means with the advantages of being convenient, being fast, high accuracy, and being pollution-free, such as on the sample, has received extensive attention from scholars both at home and abroad in recent years. This paper introduces the basic principle and analytical method of soil clay minerals by X-ray diffraction analysis, summarizes the research progress of this technology in soil clay minerals determination at home and abroad, and prospects the application prospect of X-ray diffraction analysis in soil clay minerals determination. Apply XRD to study soil clay minerals and combine with traditional analysis methods to determine the basic properties of soil, which can reveal the composition and differences of clay minerals in different types of soils, as well as the composition and evolution of soil clay minerals under different utilization methods. So as to provide theoretical basis and technical support for the sustainable use of soil fertility and agricultural green development. At present, researches on the evolution of soil clay minerals are mostly focused on long-term fertilization, but there are very few studies on the evolution of soil clay minerals caused by long-term straw return to the field and different farming methods. I believe that in the future XRD can be applied to more aspects of soil research and contribute to the green development of agriculture.