Knowledge about fungi diversity following different planting patterns could improve our understanding of soil processes and thus help us to develop sustainable management strategies. The objective of this study was to determine the impact of different furrow-ridge mulching techniques on fungal diversity in rhizosphere soil under continuous cropping system. The investigated treatments were: flat plot without mulch (CK); flat plot with mulch (T1); on-ridge planting with full mulch (T2); on-furrow planting with full mulch (T3); on-ridge planting with half mulch (T4); and on-furrow planting with half mulch (T5). NGS (Illumina) methods and ITS1 sequences were used in monitoring fungi diversity of the potato rhizosphere soil. The fungi diversity in the rhizosphere soil was ranked in the order T5 > T2 > T4 > T1 > CK at the early growth stage and T2 > T3 > T1 > T4 > CK at the late growth stage of potato. The fungal communities found in the rhizosphere soil were Ascomycota, Zygomycota, Basidiomycota, Chytridiomycota, and other unidentified fungal communities. Among the fungal community in the rhizosphere soil, Ascomycota was found to be dominant fungi population, with the highest percentage (89%) in the T5 soil whereas the T2 soils had the lowest percentage (67%). The Fusarium abundance in fully-mulched treated soils was higher than in half-mulched treated soil. The dominant genus in the T4 soil was Mortierella, whereas lower populations (1–2%) of Scutellinia, Cryphonectria, Acremonium, and Alternaria were found in that treatment. Among the eumycetes, the dominant fungal class in all treated soils was the Sordariomycetes, which ranged from 57 to 85% in T2 and T5 soils, respectively. The Fusarium percentages in half-mulched treated soils (T4 and T5) were 55 and 28% lower than that of complete mulched treated soils (T2 and T3), respectively. The cluster analysis results showed that, CK, T4, and T5 treated soils and T1, T2, and T3 treated soils had similarities in microbial compositions, respectively. Potato tuber yield was greater under the on-ridge planting with full mulch (T2) treated soil, followed by on-ridge planting with half-mulch (T4) treated soil. The rhizosphere soil under the on-ridge planting with full-mulch (T2) soil had the highest fungal diversity, suggesting that this management was the best environment for fungi, whereas the on-ridge planting with half-mulch (T4) soil had the minimum abundance of Fusarium.

12The soil bacterial composition is vital for sustainable agriculture due to its 13 importance in biogeochemical processes in the soil environment. Multiple 14 management systems, such as different furrow-ridge mulched cropping systems, have 15 been established to reduce the damage caused by continuous cropping of potato 16 (Solanum tuberosum L.). However, little is known about the responses of soil 17 bacterial biomass and diversity to these systems. In this study, six different 18 ridge-furrow film planting patterns were tested in a 2-year continuous cropping potato 19 field: flat plot without mulch (CK), flat plot with mulch (T1), on-ridge planting with 20 full mulch (T2), on-furrow planting with full mulch (T3), on-ridge planting with half 21 mulch (T4), and on-furrow planting with half mulch (T5). The soil physicochemical 22 properties and bacterial composition were significantly affected by the planting 23 pattern. Mulched soils, especially T2, maintained better soil physicochemical 24 properties than controls. Fully mulched soil maintained higher bacterial biomass and 25 diversity. Among the dominant genera, the abundances of Nitrosomonadaceae in T2 26 and T4 were higher than those in the other treatments. Consequently, compared with 27 the other treatments, on-ridge with mulching patterns resulted in better soil 28 physicochemical properties and high bacterial biomass and diversity, which could 29 reduce the economic losses due to potato production by continuous cropping.30