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Soil and climatic conditions limit forage production in semi-arid environments. Planting crops adapted to these elements, combined with management practices such as intercropping and irrigation, can ensure the sustainability of animal feed. The aim of this study was to evaluate growth, forage productivity, soil water balance, water indices and the indices of biological efficiency, competitive ability, and economic return in a dense crop of forage cactus, grasses, and legumes under single and intercropping systems in a semi-arid environment. The study was carried out from 2020 to 2022 in Serra Talhada, Pernambuco, Brazil. The plants used were the 'Orelha de Elefante Mexicana' (OEM) clone of the forage cactus, pigeon pea ('crioula'), millet ('Bulk-01') and sorghum ('SF15'). A randomised block design was adopted, with three repetitions, including single crops of the forage cactus, sorghum, millet and pigeon pea, as well as the cactus intercropped with pigeon pea, millet and sorghum. Biometrics and biomass were checked to determine morpho-physiological indices, phenology, cutting time, biological efficiency and competitive ability. The soil moisture was also monitored, and the soil water balance quantified. The water indices and economic return were then calculated. Growth rates and phenology were not affected by intercropping, only by the cutting time. During the first season, the single sorghum and cactus-pigeon pea system showed a variation in soil water storage of 26 mm, while during the second season, the single cactus stored 66.74 mm. The actual evapotranspiration ranged from 1109 in the cactus-millet system to 1152 mm in the single cactus and millet (1st season), and from 1510 in the single cactus to 1570 mm in the sorghum (2nd season). The cactus-sorghum system was the most productive, with 460.53 Mg FM ha−1 and 43.55 Mg DM ha−1 in season one, while in season two, the single cactus obtained 237.64 Mg FM ha−1 and 26.71 Mg DM ha−1. Intercropping promotes more productive stability and feed diversity, as well as greater biological efficiency, competitive ability and economic return. Understanding the changes that exist in a intercropping system is important, especially in semi-arid regions, since these have distinct characteristics that impact the development of crops. Thus, this work contributes comprehensively to resilient practices for the semi-arid, seeking to ensure the sustainability of the intercropping systems and understand the interrelationship between species from the management adopted. [Display omitted] • The phenology and growth of the forage cactus were not influenced by intercropping, only the moment of cut. • Monocultures stored larger volumes of water in the soil. • Sorghum 'SF15' is the secondary crop with the highest productive potential, either in monoculture or in intercropping. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Multivariate analysis assisted to plan the cultivation of forage cactus. • Irrigation affects growth dynamics and forage accumulation of forage cactus. • Growth dynamics and forage accumulation are affected by the semiarid climate. • Opuntia stricta Haw. (Haw.) is more sensitive to semiarid climatic conditions. Comprehending the relation between climatic variables and the productive and morphological characteristics of the forage cactus is essential to the adjustment of the management of its production in different agro-climatic areas. The aim of this study was to evaluate the interrelationship between the meteorological variables and the water regime with the growth dynamics and accumulation of forage mass of three different forage cactus clones. We submitted the clones Miúda–MIU; Orelha de Elefante Mexicana–OEM and IPA Sertânia–IPA to three water regimes (40 %ETc, 80 %ETc and 120 %ETc), plus the non-irrigated condition (0 %ETc), during 18 months, in the municipality of Serra Talhada, Pernambuco, Brazil. Morphological, structural, and productive characteristics of the plants, and environmental variables were supervised throughout the experimental period. Pearson's correlation, multicollinearity test, canonical correlation and path analysis were applied to these data. It was observed that the minimum air temperature, the relative air humidity, and the irrigation were the variables that affected the growth dynamics and the accumulation of fodder mass of the forage cactus clones the most. The clone OEM presented more sensitivity to the environmental conditions (climate and irrigation) in comparison to the other clones MIU and IPA. The environmental conditions affected the growth dynamics more than the productivity of the clone from the genus Nopalea. It was determined that the species of forage cactus presented differentiated morphological and productive responses among themselves, under semiarid conditions in Brazil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]