Desert-oasis ecotones play a crucial role in the ecological security and stability of oases. The health and stability of desert-oasis ecotones are continuously challenged by increasing land use intensity, particularly the conversion of desert to farmland. Typical desert-oasis ecotones of the southern Taklimakan Desert were selected to study changes in soil nutrients in response to different types of land use:mulberry fields; Tamarix forests; melon fields; and cotton-corn fields. Plots were established along transects set out from farmland across the ecotones into the desert, and five soil depths were analyzed. All nutrient indexes were significantly affected by the type of land use, soil depth, and distance from farmland. Soil organic carbon (C), available nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) generally decreased with increasing soil depth. No trend was observed for total N, and total P did not vary significantly with increasing soil depth. Most nutrient concentrations decreased with increasing distance from farmlands. In exploring soil nutrients at three different depths in different land use types, we found that soil organic C and total N were the highest in cotton-corn fields, followed by mulberry fields. Organic C and total N decreased with increasing distance from farmland. With the exception of plots located within farmland (0 m), all plots along the transects from all three depths showed a total P trend as follows:mulberry field > Tamarix forest > cotton-corn field. In the farmland plots, soil available N from the uppermost depth was the highest in melon field plots, whereas topsoil available N at all other points along the transect was the highest in cotton-corn fields (>=20 m). Soil available N from lower soil depths did not differ significantly among land use types at any distance along the transect. Despite trends in total P, there were no trends in soil available P from plots at different distances from farmland. However, available P did vary with land use types, with the highest value recorded for farmland melon field plots. For cotton-corn field plots, soil total N/P ratios were the highest in farmlands and in the adjacent to farmland (20 m distance) plots. The highest available N/P ratios were found in farmland plots of Tamarix forest. Soil available N/P ratios changed significantly with increased distance from farmland. These results indicate that land use activity, specifically farming, can result in positive effects on soil nutrient levels. Further research should be conducted on the ecological effects of soil nutrient variations in desert-oasis ecotones.