The multi-site experiment is important to evaluate the stability and adaptability of foxtail millet.We used data of the yield and agronomic traits of foxtail millet to analyze and compare for its variation characteristics in semi-arid area of central and eastern Gansu province in the past seven years to analyze the variation characteristics.The results showed that the number of experimental set and lines tested gradually increased from 2011 to 2017,which was beneficial to screen out high,stable and wide-adaptability lines. The yield of the tested lines varied 69.3-593.4 kg/667m~2,and the different lines of the same experiment in the same year,the same line of the different experiment among sites and the same line of the same experiment between sites had significantly difference,and the proportion of the stable lines was low. The correlation analysis of rainfall,temperature and yield shows that the large variation of grain yield was closely related to the extreme rainfall and temperature change in any growth stage,which indicates that the exploitation and innovation of germplasm resources of foxtail millet with tolerance to climate change should be strengthened. The plant height,the length of the main spike,the diameter of the main spike,the diameter of the main stem and the mass of the grass per plant showed a "w" type characteristic of change,while the spike mass,the grain mass per plant,the 1 000-grain mass and the grain yield per plant showed a "∽" variable characteristics. The node number of the main stem ranged from 11 to 13 showed a slowly decreasing trend year by year,those results indicated that there was no specificity in the phenotypic selective modification of the tested materials,and the exploitation,utilization and innovation of the germplasm resources of the ideal plant type of foxtail millet should be strengthened.