A field experiment was conducted to assess the effects of eight different covering modes(including BB，semi-film ridge planting with transparent plastic mulch；BQ，double ridge-furrow planting with transparent plastic mulch；BJ，semi-film ridge planting with transparent plastic mulch，and furrow covered with straw；HB，semi-film ridge planting with black plastic mulch；HQ，double ridge-furrow planting with black plastic mulch；HJ，semi-film ridge planting with black plastic mulch，and furrow covered with straw；JL，ridge-furrow planting with straw mulching on both ridges and furrows；CK，flat planting without mulching as control)on soil organic matter，soil nutrient content and potato yield in arid area.The results showed that different covering modes could change on the soil temperature of 0～30 cm layer，compared to the CK treatment，higher soil temperature was observed at the film mulching treatments(transparent plastic mulch treatments>black plastic mulch treatments，and double ridge-furrow planting with film mulch treatments>semi-film ridge planting with film mulch treatments>ridge-furrow planting with straw mulching on both ridges and furrows treatment)，the effects of film mulching treatments on the soil temperature declined gradually with the development of growth stage，JL decreased soil temperature at early growth stages and increased soil temperature at later growth stages.Compared to the JL and CK treatments，film mulch treatments accelerated the seedling emergence of potato，and shortened the growing period.The covering modes had a remarkable effect on soil organic matter and soil nutrient in the rhizospheric soil，which increased the content of organic matter(JL>BJ>BQ>BB>HQ>HJ>HB)，JL treatment increased the content of organic matter by 16.72%，compared to the CK treatment，and the different covering modes under same color plastic mulch treatments had no significant effect on soil organic matter in the rhizospheric soil.The effects of plastic mulch treatments on soil total N，total P，total K，alkalize N，available P and available K were less than straw，BJ and HJ had the higher effect on soil nutrient content，and available K under black plastic mulch treatments was higher in transparent plastic mulch treatments.BJ and HJ treatment improved potato yield by 87.87%(BJ>HJ)comparing with CK.Therefore，it is concluded that covering material(straw，transparent plastic mulch and black plastic mulch)could improve the growth of potato，soil nutrient and potato yield，and covering modes(semi-film ridge planting with film mulch，double ridge-furrow planting with film mulch， semi-film ridge planting with film mulch and furrow covered with straw)could regulate soil temperature，soil nutrient and growth of potato，the turn of the influence factors was covering material>covering method，BJ and HJ treatments could be an appropriate cultivation mode to increase the potato productivity in arid areas.