IMPACT OF PLANT DENSITY ON PRODUCTIVITY OF SOME PANICUM CULTIVARS AT DESERT SOILS

In light of increasing water scarcity and the urgent need for sustainable forage production in arid regions, two field experiments were conducted at the Agricultural Experimental Station of the Desert Research Center (D.R.C.), El-Kharga Oasis, New Valley Governorate, Egypt (27°47.7′N, 30°24.7′E) during the 2021 and 2022 seasons. The study aimed to evaluate the impact of planting density on the growth and productivity of panicum cultivars under the arid conditions of the New Valley. Significant differences were observed among cultivars in both seasons. The cultivar Arowana consistently outperformed the others across all measured traits, followed by Mombasa. Plant density had a significant effect on all parameters. The spacing of 60 cm between rows and 50 cm between plants proved most effective, particularly in 2021, when Arowana produced the tallest plants 134.2 cm, the highest number of tillers per plant 22.03, the greatest net photosynthetic rate 21.81 µmol CO₂ m⁻² s⁻¹, and the maximum green and dry forage yields averaging 3,271 and 1,498 kg fed⁻¹ per cut, respectively. Moreover, the Arowana exhibited the highest water use efficiency, at 2.97 kg fresh weight per m³ of water. In contrast, the widest spacing, 80 × 30 cm, gave the lowest values for most traits, except for leaf fiber content, which showed the opposite trend. Overall, optimizing planting density, particularly at 60 × 50 cm, markedly enhances panicum growth, yield, and water use efficiency under desert conditions, supporting sustainable livestock feed production and improving agricultural resilience in arid regions