In hot arid lands, soil salinity, irrigation with brackish waters and the massive use of mineral fertilizers are major constraints for the development of potato cropping. The current field experiment was conducted in the Sahara Desert of Algeria in order to highlight the effect of organic fertilization on the improvement of potato production and the increase of plant salt-stress tolerance. The variation of yield production parameters and nutritional status of plants were evaluated through a split-plot design including six increasing rates of poultry manure (PM) (0, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60 mt/ha) tested in three experimental sites with increasing salinity levels: low saline soil (electrical conductivity 'EC' = 0.9 dS/m), saline soil (EC = 2.2 dS/m) and high saline soil (EC = 5.9 dS/m). The results revealed a significant and proportional increasing of all studied yield parameters (number, seize and yields of tubers) with the increase of PM rates compared to the control. The effect of the interaction (PM × salinity level) showed that the highest yield (44.55 mt/ha) was recorded in plots treated with 60 mt/ha of PM in high saline soils. The assessment of nutritional status at flowering stage of potato plants demonstrated that concentrations of K+ and N increased while Na+ concentrations decreased, in both leaves and roots, as PM rates increasing, principally beneath high salinity level. Our findings suggest the dose of 60 mt/ha of PM is an optimal amount producing the best tuber yields under saline conditions in arid soils.

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Quinoa is an important Andean crop that can play a strategic role in the development of degraded lands in hot arid regions due to its high nutritional value, genetic diversity and its high adaptability to stressful environments. The aim of this work was to evaluate the agronomic performance (growth development, grain yield and grain quality characteristics) of seven quinoa genotypes (Giza1, Sajama, Santa Maria, Q102, Q29, Q27 and Q18) cultivated under open field conditions in the Sahara Desert of Algeria. Using randomized complete block design (4 blocks), field trials were conducted during two cropping seasons (2017–2018 and 2018–2019) from November to April. The measured parameters included: plant height, number of panicles per plant, 1000-grain weight (TGW), grain yield (GYd), grain protein content (GPt), grain saponin content (GSC), and maturity indicators. The genotype effect was statistically the main source of variation in most parameters investigated as compared to the effect of cropping year. The Q102 genotype produced the highest GYd (2.87 t/ha) and GPt (16.7 g/100 g DM); and it required medium period (149 days) to reach harvest maturity as compared to other genotypes. The genotype Giza1 showed the lowest GYd and also low values for most of traits measured. However, it had the shortest harvest maturity (139 days) and the lowest GSC (0.62 g/100 g DM). The variety Santa Maria recorded the highest TGW (2.68 g), but it took 164 days to reach harvest maturity and it had high GSC (1.92 g/100 g DM). Though the best yield and grain quality characteristics were not reunited in single genotype, our findings showed that quinoa has multi-benefit potentials as a new crop for the arid agriculture in particular in hot-arid regions of North Africa.

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The purpose of this study is to monitor the evolution of some physical and physico-chemical parameters of four types of compost prepared from the mixture of oasis waste and poultry manure in different proportions. During the trial, which lasted 218 days, the temperature rises during the thermophilic phase for all the treatments, reaching a maximum threshold of 55°C recorded by the treatment (poultry manure (PM) + mixture of residues (wheat straw + olive residues) (MI)). The pH, EC, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium values increase for all treatments at the end of the test. On the other hand, the MO content and C/N ratio are significantly reduced during the trial, especially for treatments containing poultry manure. The results obtained show that the four prepared composts meet the characteristics of a stable, hygienic product suitable for use in poultry farming.