Abstract: Fine roots (≤2 mm) play a major role in biogeochemical cycling in ecosystems. By the methods of soil cores and ingrowth soil cores, we studied the biomass and annual production of fine roots in 0-40 cm soil layers of four main vegetation types, i.e., Robinia pseudoacacia plantation, deciduous shrubs, abandoned grassland, and Artemisia desertorum community in Loess Plateau, China. The spatial patterns of fine root biomass and production were negatively associated with latitudes. The fine root biomass in the 0-40 cm soil layer was in the order of deciduous shrubs (220 g·m^-2), R. pseudoacacia plantation (163 g·m^-2), abandoned grassland (162 g·m^-2) and A. desertorum community (79 g·m^-2). The proportion of ≤1 mm fine root biomass (74.1%) in the 0-40 cm soil layer of abandoned grassland was significantly higher than those in the other three vegetation types. The fine root biomass of  the four vegetation types was mainly distributed in the 0-10 cm soil layer and decreased with soil depth. The proportion of fine root biomass (44.1%) in the 0-10 cm soil layer of abandoned grassland was significantly higher than those in other three vegetation types. The fine root productions of four vegetation types were in the order of abandoned grassland (315 g·m^-2·a^-1) >deciduous shrubs (249 g·m^-2·a^-1) >R. pseudoacacia plantation (219 g·m^-2·a^-1) >A. desertorum community (115 g·m^-2·a^-1), and mainly concentrated in the 0-10 cm top soil layer and decreased with the soil depth. The proportion of the annual production (40.4%) in the 0-10 cm soil layer was the highest in abandoned grassland. Fine roots of abandoned grassland turned over faster than those from the other three vegetation types.