Objective  From the perspective of micro-ecology, effect of varied cultivation practices on fungal diversity in the rhizosphere soil of winder potato fields were studied to improve the cultivation in Guangxi.

  Methods  The Illumina Miseq high-throughput sequencing was used to compare the fungal diversity in the rhizosphere soils at fields under either black film mulching (BFM), rice straw mulching (RSM) or conventional practice (CK).

  Results  The fungal diversity index in rhizosphere soil was higher under BFM than the other two. The difference on the Simpson indices of BFM and RSM was significant (P＜0.05). The species and relative abundance of dominant strains in the soils differed among the treatments and potato growth period. Ascomycota was the most dominant phylum found in the soils under all 3 methods with its relative abundance being the greatest under BFM. The dominant fungi genus under BFM was Cephalotrichum, under RSM Agrocybe, and under CK Mortierella. In late stage of potato growth, BFM resulted in a higher relative abundance of Mortierella,Cephalotrichum, Clonostachys, and Acremonium than did CK, but the lowest in the relative abundance of Fusarium among all treatments.

  Conclusion  The application of a black film for mulching on the ground (BFM) at potato growing fields significantly improved the species abundance, structure, and diversity of fungal community in the rhizosphere soil over the other practices. It facilitated the decomposition and transformation of organic matters in soil, the growth and proligeration of beneficial microorganisms, and the stability of the rhizosphere microbial environment for optimal growth and development of potatoes. On the other hand, the use of rice straws in RSM appeared to mitigate the soil-borne disease caused by Fusarium on the potato.