In order to make full use of saline water resources, the impacts of different patterns (totally five treatments: CK, fresh water irrigation;T1, blended irrigation by mixing fresh water and saline water into 1.8g/L salty water;T2, rotated irrigation of 3.6g/L saline water with fresh water;T3, direct irrigation with 3.6g/L salty water and T4, no irrigation) of salty water irrigation on photosynthetic characteristics and soil salt of winter wheat were studied in 2013—2015 based on a long-term saline water irrigation experiment. The results showed that treatments T3 and T4 significantly decreased plant height, leaf area index, leaf area duration, chlorophyll content, maximum photosynthetic rate (Pnmax), apparent quantum yield (φ), dark respiration rate (Rd) and grain yield compared with fresh water irrigation (CK). Continuous irrigation with 3.6g/L salty water (T3) led to soil salt accumulation, thus it was not suitable for directly continuous irrigation of winter wheat. In comparison with CK, treatments T1 and T2 had no significant differences in plant height and photosynthetic characteristics, while there was an increasing tendency in soil salt content, the plant growth was not impacted. From the aspects of soil ecological environment and grain yield, the rotated irrigation pattern and the blended irrigation pattern of saline water utilization did not cause yield reduction and obvious soil secondary salinization, but it can save fresh water, therefore they were comparatively better ways for salty water utilization in winter wheat irrigation. The study provided an important reference for developing saline water irrigation of winter wheat.