<p>Purpose: With increasing areas of agricultural land succumbing to salinization, raising plants’ salt tolerance becomes essential. Okra, a key vegetable crop in India, is significantly affected by high soil salinity at all growth stages. This study evaluates biochar’s potential as a sustainable solution to the global soil salinization threat. Methods: Two saline soils (Samchana and Dobh) were collected from Rohtak district, Haryana, India. Okra plants were grown in them for two consecutive seasons, with rice husk biomass (RHBM) and rice husk biochar (RHBC) amendments. Both amendments were applied at 1%, 2.5%, and 5% (w/w) at the start of season 1 (Samc1, Dobh1). No additional amendments were made for season 2 (Samc2, Dobh2). Results: RHBC caused the highest electrical conductivity (EC) and pH reductions, with enhancements in soil properties (soil organic carbon, soil available phosphorus, nutrients) across both seasons. RHBC increased plant height, leaf area, plant biomass, and fruit weight, while RHBM reduced these metrics in Samc1. In Dobh1, RHBC increased plant height, leaf area, and plant biomass, while RHBM reduced these parameters. Improvements continued into season 2 for both soils and treatments, but RHBC consistently outperformed RHBM, with greater Na⁺ uptake reduction, enhanced salt tolerance index (STI), and integrated biological response (IBRv2). RHBC (5% w/w) emerged as the best application rate amongst all the applied application rates. Conclusion: RHBC was a more effective soil amendment than RHBM, offering sustained improvements in soil quality, plant growth, and salt tolerance across both seasons. Since the feedstock is locally sourced and the production process is highly economical, benefits observed in this study can be transferred to farmers. This can help achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): zero hunger (SDG-2) and climate action (SDG-13).</p> Graphical Abstract <p></p>