Extreme heat, droughts, pests, diseases, and short bursts of heavy rain make potato production unsustainable. This unfavorable environment negatively affects potato productivity and yield levels. Within the next few years, conditions will likely deteriorate even more. In potato cultivation, straw mulching has been shown to increase yields by promoting the growth of beneficial bacteria in the soil. Mulching improves soil humidity, decreases transpiration, and cools the soil in dry and hot regions. There is a global decline in potato yields per hectare due to poor nutrient management, moderately humid years, and high disease pressure caused by Phytophthora infestans and Alternaria species. Farmers must take cultivation measures to achieve economic efficiency and adequate yields. A range of practices contributes to better potato yields and productivity, such as the use of appropriate fungicides, planting high-yielding varieties, and increasing row spacing. These practices complicate cultivation and affect profits. Furthermore, inorganic nitrogen in the soil regularly causes acidification, eroding soil fertility. As a result of land preparation, straw residues from rice and maize are collected from the field and destroyed or burned, which depletes nutrients and pollutes the air. Returning these residues to the soil, however, can improve its quality. Integrating rice and maize straw mulching into potato cultivation practices can enhance agricultural sustainability, productivity, and yield. This review will focus on using rice and maize straw mulching in cultivating potatoes. Straw mulching promotes sustainable potato growth, increasing productivity and quality while minimizing reliance on chemical inputs. Such practices can mitigate the need for synthetic fertilizers to enhance sustainable agriculture, ensure long-term growth, improve soil health, increase yields, and promote sustainable agriculture.

Potato scab, a global soil-borne disease caused by Streptomyces, is pivotal in developing resistant cultivars due to its complex resistance mechanisms. This study investigates the transcriptomic responses in potato to common scab using resistant variety CS10 and susceptible CS11 post S. scabie inoculation (0 d and 10 d, 12 cDNA libraries). Differential expression analysis identified 147 key DEGs (Differentially Expressed Genes) essential in disease recognition, signal transduction, and defense. GO (Gene Ontology) and KEGG (Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes) enrichment analyses revealed several significant metabolic pathways, such as ADP binding, heme binding, chloroplast thylakoid membrane, photosynthesis, glutathione metabolism, and homologous recombination, among others. Notably, the correlation between chloroplast pathways (GO:0019745) and photosynthesis (map00195) highlights photosynthesis’s role in potato scab response, while the oxygen transport (GO:0031408)-related glutathione metabolism pathway (map00480) emphasizes antioxidant defenses. Furthermore, three potential resistance genes were validated: Ethylene Response Factor ERF010 (LOC102589042), Disease Resistance Protein RPP13 (LOC102605863), and Cytochrome P450 83B1 (LOC102604056), demonstrating the linkage between metabolic pathways and pathogen response. These findings offer insights into potato’s molecular resistance mechanisms against potato scab, supporting the breeding of resistant varieties and comprehensive disease management, thus advancing sustainable agriculture.