The experiment on effect of organic amendment and NPK fertilizer of forage yield of cereals using saline water irrigation (12.4 dS/m) was conducted in Es-Smara province in the South of Morocco during 2020–2021. We found that organic amendments have a great positive impact on increasing forage yield of selected cereals grown under salinity conditions. Compared to the control, the application of amendments improved dry biomass yield by 55, 101, 126%, through the application of compost, sheep manure, and NPK, respectively. The highest increment in dry matter productivity was through the combined application of organic amendment and NPK fertilization: clearly showed that a judicious combined application could improve forage supply in the salt-affected irrigated drylands.

Soil salinity and drought are the two major challenges agriculture is facing in marginal environments, such as desert areas, which limit the growth and productivity of traditional cultivated crop species. In the Sahara Desert of the southern region of Morocco, livestock is the major agricultural activity, and forage supply is severely affecting livestock production. Blue panicum (Panicum antidotale Retz.) is an alternative salt-tolerant crop recently introduced to Morocco’s Sahara to enhance forage availability for livestock. The aim of this study was to increase the productivity and nutritional quality of blue panicum through the use of integrated agronomic practices, such as planting methods (bed or flat), crop establishment (direct seeding, transplantation, and rhizome propagation), organic and/or mineral amendments, and grass–legumes intercropping. The preliminary results showed that in the highly saline conditions, the combined application of organic amendments, seedling transplanting, and bed planting method gave the highest production (56 t/ha/year) of fresh biomass, which is higher than 50% compared to the control. This study suggests that in the southern region of Morocco and the Sahara Desert, the adoption of the blue panicum with integrated agronomic practices sustains livestock production.

Blue panicum ( Panicum antidotale Retz.) has been extensively studied in Southern Morocco for its ability to maintain productivity under high salinity levels. However, important knowledge gaps remain regarding crop management practices, particularly intercropping, planting density, and fertility management. Accordingly, this study evaluated, the combined effects of planting density (8 and 16 plants m ^− 2 ) and organic amendments (control, compost at 10 and 20 t ha ^− 1 , and manure at 20 and 40 t ha ^− 1 ) on the growth, physiology, mineral composition, and stress responses of blue panicum ( Panicum antidotale Retz.), under increasing saline conditions. Soil and irrigation water salinity were low (0.7 and 4.5), moderate (1.3 and 8.6), and high (7.8 and 2.8 dS m ^− 1 ), respectively. Results showed that, across sites, the highest annual biomass production was recorded under the highest density, reaching 202.5 t ha ^− 1 (fresh biomass) and 41.2 t ha ^− 1 (dry biomass). The low salinity site of Oulad Ghanem was the most productive, whereas organic amendments resulted in limited yield gains. A similar pattern was observed for stomatal conductance and chlorophyll index, which reached their highest values under low saline conditions with 393 mmol m⁻² s⁻¹ and 35, respectively. Antioxidant responses further differentiated site functioning: SOD and CAT activities increased under high salinity (72 and 9.0 U g ^− 1 FW, respectively), whereas POD peaked under moderate conditions (0.37 U g ^− 1 FW). Overall, this study demonstrates the ability of blue panicum to maintain productivity under increasing saline conditions, with organic amendments helping mitigate the adverse effect of salinity.

Root developmental plasticity might provide breeders with the opportunity to generate crops with more resistant root system designs to abiotic pressures such as salt stress. The potential influence of diverse root designs in a panel of sorghum varieties’ production and performance under salt stress was investigated in this study. Dry weight yield had a significant positive correlation with three root parameters: main root length, main root angle, and lateral root length. These root features have varying positive correlations with other salt tolerance indices. Interestingly, all root properties have a negative correlation with the electrolyte leakage. Except for the lateral root length, the negative correlations were significant in all other root features. This pattern holds true for other salt performance indices studied, such as total soluble sugar content, chlorophyll content, growth, and leaf area. Furthermore, there is an inter-variety variation in the contribution level of lateral root and main root length towards the total root length and this was found to influence yield and performance. These findings give a hint on the root architectural features that play a positive role in sorghum salt tolerance and improved forage yield.