Effect of water stress on the behavior of six durum wheat genotypes in a semi-arid region of western Algeria

Six genotypes of durum wheat (Triticum turgidum L. subsp. durum (Desf.) Husn.) were investigated under different watering regimes. Phenological and morphological parameters as well as some yield components were monitored. The results showed that: (1) the water deficit significantly affects the height of the plants, the length and the weight of the spikes. (2) Irrigation has a significant effect on all of the yield components. Doses of 39mm at tillering, 60mm at stem elongation and 30mm at heading stage achieved the best yields. (3) Earliness at heading and at maturity is an important factor in determining the adaptation to water stress and in obtaining a good yield. (4) Under favorable irrigation conditions precocious and semi-precocious selected varieties have been shown to be more productive and even adapted to the water stress of the region. (5) The productivity of the durum wheat crop is imperatively based on the choice of a tolerant genotype to the conditions of the region on the one hand and on the use of supplementary irrigation on the other hand, especially at the vegetative stage where the yield component is the most determining, in our case it seems to be the populating spike carried out at the booting stage.