As the important measure of ecological construction,farmland shelterbelts are the ecological protection screen of agriculture, which are of great importance to keep ecological security and improve the quality of living environment for human. The paper reviews the status and development of study on characteristics of ecological effects of farmland shelterbelts, focusing on the major aspect such as effects of shelterbelts on wind structure and soil erosion, physical characteristics in the boundary layer of shelterbelts system, and adjustment of shelterbelts on crop growth environment. On the base of analyzing the existing problems of this field, some keystones and hotspots of study on characteristics of ecological effects of farmland shelterbelts in the future are put forward to provide useful help for research and development of this study.