Aims <p>This study evaluated the capacity of soil amendments: cattle manure biochar and a hydrogel polymer (Stockosorb) to alleviate drought induced physiological impairments in <i>Satureja rechingeri</i> Jamzad<i>.</i></p> Methods <p>A two-season experiment imposed three irrigation regimes (100%, 80%, and 60% field capacity; FC) alongside soil amendment treatments. Key photosynthetic and biochemical traits were measured, and a Group Method of Data Handling (GMDH) neural network model was developed to simulate these responses.</p> Results <p>Severe drought (60% FC) significantly reduced net photosynthesis (PN), stomatal conductance (GS), and transpiration (E). Both amendments effectively mitigated this impairment. The superabsorbent polymer (S) increased SPAD indices by 46.1%, while biochar (BC) enhanced stomatal conductance under severe stress by 18.5%. Although drought reduced chlorophyll (Chl) and carotenoid (Car) concentrations, amendment application reversed this trend, elevating chlorophyll a by up to 155% under concurrent stress and superabsorbent. Flavonoid content increased with drought and was further amplified by biochar. The GMDH model exhibited high predictive accuracy, with R² values between 0.8400 and 0.9351 across the measured traits.</p> Conclusions <p>Cattle manure biochar and a superabsorbent polymer were effective soil amendments for alleviating drought stress in S. rechingeri, primarily by enhancing photosynthetic performance and preserving pigments. The high fidelity of the GMDH model in simulating these complex physiological interactions supports its utility as a predictive tool for precision agriculture and plant stress physiology.</p>