Abstract: Investigating the effects of straw returning and shallow buried drip irrigation on soil quality and crop yield in the black soil region of the southern Greater Khingan Mountains foothills, with implications for enhancing soil organic matter and improving soil quality in the target area. A two-factor field experiment was established at the Agriculture Bureau in Jarud Banner, Xing'an League, located on the southern foothills of the Greater Khingan Mountains. The factors were three straw return strategies (S₀: no return; S₁: annual return; S₂: every other year return) and two irrigation regimes (D₀: no drip; D₁: shallow buried drip irrigation), resulting in six treatments labeled as S₀D₀, S₀D₁, S₁D₀, S₁D₁, S₂D₀, and S₂D₁. We analyzed soil physicochemical properties, microbial biomass carbon (MBC) and nitrogen (MBN), key carbon- and nitrogen-cycling extracellular enzyme activities, and maize yield. The results showed straw returning significantly decreased soil bulk density (0–20 cm) and increased field capacity (0–40 cm), total organic carbon (TOC), and available phosphorus (AP) (P < 0.05). Notably, annual and biennial straw return increased TOC by 18.0%–20.7% and 17.6%–20.0% compared to the no-straw control, respectively. While shallow buried drip irrigation was the main factor influencing total nitrogen (TN), a significant interaction between straw returning and shallow buried drip irrigation was observed for total phosphorus (TP). Soil biological activity was also significantly enhanced. Straw returning increased microbial biomass carbon (MBC) and nitrogen (MBN), as well as the activities of key enzymes related to carbon and nitrogen cycling (including β-xylosidase, cellobiohydrolase, β-1, 4-N-acetylglucosaminidase, and leucine aminopeptidase) (P<0.05). Reflecting these widespread improvements, the integrated Soil Quality Index (SQI) was significantly enhanced by the combined practices, with the annual straw return with shallow buried drip irrigation (S₁D₁) treatment achieving the highest SQI value (1.58). This enhancement in overall soil quality translated directly to crop productivity. The S₁D₁ treatment produced the highest maize yield, and a significant positive correlation was found between the SQI and maize yield (P < 0.05). The combination of straw returning and shallow buried drip irrigation effectively improved soil physicochemical properties, enhanced extracellular enzyme activities, and increased maize yield. Among the practices, the straw returning every year (autumn application at 13, 500 kg hm^-2) combined with shallow buried drip irrigation (irrigation quota of 450 m³ hm⁻², applied 3–5 times) demonstrated the most optimal effects on improving soil quality and maize yield in the region.