## 1 Introduction  
Saline soils are now becoming a growing threat to sustainable crop production in the irrigated lands of the semi-arid areas of the world [1, 2]. Currently, over 1000 million ha (Mha) are inflicted with the different levels of salinity problems [3], and an additional 0.25-0.5 Mha of agricultural land is lost annually [4]. The salinity development is mainly caused by the presence of soluble salts in the water used for irrigation, hot and dry weather conditions, and excessive use of poor quality groundwater for irrigation [5, 6]. Salinity problems are wide-spread in the Asian and African regions. In Ethiopia, approximately 11 Mha of land (i.e., 9% of the country's total landmass and 13% of the irrigated area) is exposed to salinity, of which 8 Mha have combined salinity andodicity problems whereas the remaining 3 Mha are only sodic in nature [7, 8].  
In Ethiopia, saline soils are more dominant in the Awash Valley and semi-arid lowlands where 9% of the total population lives [8]. The growing prevalence of salt-affected soils is undermining the sustainability of irrigated agriculture in Ethiopia, as it reduces natural biodiversity as well as farm and livestock productivity. The situation is expected to aggravate in the future due to factors induced by climate change. The ongoing land degradation has grave implications for future food security and economic development of Ethiopia. With an annual growth rate of 2.48%, securing food and improving the livelihood of the increasing population will be the biggest challenge for the government. Even today, food shortages are widespread, and since 1970, the country is in the grip of consistent famines. It is reported that, among children aged up to five years, around 25% are underweight and 40% are stunted as a result of chronic malnutrition [9].  
To meet future food security challenges, transforming salt-affected soils into productive lands and preventing the spread of salinity in other areas is of critical importance. In the low to moderate saline areas, degraded soils can be improved by excessive leaching and installing effective drainage systems [10; 11]. In the high saline areas, where the growth of normal field crops is problematic, soil reclamation can be done by using chemicals and/or by growing suitable salt-tolerant plant species (bioremediation approach) [12; 13; 14]. This approach is based on integrated crop-livestock feeding systems, which can enhance the resilience of smallholder farmers in the salt-affected areas. For the success of bioremediation approaches, the selection of suitable genotypes that have the potential to tolerate abiotic stresses is of paramount importance.  
The introduction of salt-tolerant forage grasses can increase fodder production in the degraded lands because they have the capacity to prevent salinity development by creating a mulching layer on the soil surface. This mulching layer prevents the upward capillary movement of water thereby forcing plants to use water from the lower layers of the soil through their root system [15; 16]. One such forage grass is _Chloris gayana_, which can successfully produce good biomass yield in marginal soil and water conditions [14; 16]. Since salt-tolerant forage plants are variable in biomass production and nutritive value, they need to be tested locally for their (a) edible biomass production, (b) nutritive value of edible biomass (i.e., the response in animal production per unit of voluntary feeding intake), and (c) the use of micronutrients and nutraceutical properties. This study was designed to evaluate the salt tolerance, biomass production, and nutrient composition of selected Rhodes grass _(Chloris gayana)_ genotypes under Ethiopian conditions. It is anticipated that the developed crop-livestock value chain system will enhance the livestock productivity in Ethiopia.