One main reason for the slow improvement of durum wheat in water-limited environments is the lack of clear understanding of the interrelationships among yield components and their compensatory changes under low and erratic moisture availability. Five cultivars, varying in many physiological attributes, were tested under different drought-stress conditions in field and greenhouse experiments. The cause-effect relationships of duration of vegetative period, duration of grain-filling period, number of spikes per m2, kernels per spike, kernel weight and grain yield per m2were assessed. Furthermore, yield stability was evaluated. Yield reduction was largest under mid-season stress (58), followed by terminal stress (30) and early stress (22). Cultivar Po was very sensitive to terminal stress.
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