IntroductionUnderstanding how different lavender cultivars regulate soil microecology in semi-arid regions will reveal microbial mechanisms of soil improvement, identify cultivars with high ecological restoration potential, and support coordinated vegetation restoration, soil quality enhancement, and specialty crop cultivation.MethodsThis study selected three major cultivated varieties in the Ili region of Xinjiang (Xinxun No. 2, Xinxun No. 3, and Xinxun No. 4) along with natural soil as a control. The physicochemical properties of rhizosphere soil were determined, and high-throughput sequencing technology was used to analyze the fungal community structure, while fungal functions were predicted using FUNGuild. Correlation analysis and redundancy analysis (RDA) were further applied to identify key driving factors.ResultsDifferent varieties significantly reshaped rhizosphere soil properties and fungal community structure. Among them, Xinxun No. 4 exhibited the most pronounced increases in soil organic matter, available nitrogen, and available phosphorus, and significantly enhanced fungal alpha diversity. The fungal community was dominated by Ascomycota; however, species abundance at the phylum, genus, and putative functional group levels differed significantly among varieties. Redundancy analysis indicated that soil total phosphorus, pH, and total nitrogen were the key factors influencing fungal community structure, whereas alkali-hydrolyzable nitrogen, available phosphorus, organic matter, electrical conductivity, total phosphorus, and nitrate nitrogen were the main driving factors affecting putative fungal functional groups.DiscussionXinxun No. 4 was relatively advantageous in improving soil nutrient status and fungal community structure, and thus may be preferentially considered for promotion in applications such as lavender garden establishment.