It produced at least 3.4 tons per hectare regardless of drought severity, a yield that would please most farmers in dry environments. The primary use of durum wheat in most of the world is to make pasta, but in West Asia and North Africa, durum is a staple crop. Bread, couscous, and other local foods made from durum wheat make up the basic diet of a large portion of the population. Simulating Drought Precisely, Drip by Drip Breeding wheat for arid environments requires simulating drought in experimental fields. However, this method does not result in a true replication of all drought conditions, since the water filters into the ground, where it remains even after the superficial soil layers have dried out.
Wheat plants can grow their roots long enough to reach the water stored there.
With this system, it is possible to apply the exact amount of water to the soil surface, without flooding the subsoil. The precision irrigation allows responses to drought in the experimental wheats to be differentiated more clearly. They also included a field with flood irrigation to see how the new system compares with the old. Choosing the test wheats was important. Data from those environments will allow us to compare how the wheat varieties behaved in our experiment with how they behave in different conditions all over the world.