## 2 Materials and Methods  
### 2.1. _Edapho-Climatic Characteristics of the Study Site and Agronomic Management Conditions_  
The study was conducted during the fall-winter crop season (2 December 2021 to 22 May 2022) at the Experimental Technology Transfer Center (CETT-910) of the Instituto Tecnologico de Sonora (ITSON) in the Yaqui Valley, Mexico (Latitude: 27\({}^{\circ}\)21\({}^{\prime}\)57.74\({}^{\prime\prime}\) N, Longitude: 109\({}^{\circ}\)54\({}^{\prime}\)55.91\({}^{\prime\prime}\) W). Climatic conditions during the crop cycle included 589 accumulated chill hours, an average temperature of 18.6 \({}^{\circ}\)C (mean maximum temperature of 29.1 \({}^{\circ}\)C, and mean minimum temperature of 9.5 \({}^{\circ}\)C, see Supplementary Table S1), total precipitation of 17.5 mm, and average relative humidity of 62.8% (REMAS, [[https://siafeson.com/remas/](https://siafeson.com/remas/)]([https://siafeson.com/remas/](https://siafeson.com/remas/)) accessed on 1 June 2022). The physicochemical characteristics of the soil, macro, and micronutrients are shown in Table 1. These values were determined following the protocols outlined in the Official Mexican Standard NOM-021-SEMARNAT-2000. The nitrogen level reported in Table 1 was calculated from the soil sample analysis at UC-Davis (described in Section 2.5) using an Elemental Analyzer coupled with an Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometer (EA-IRMS, Elementar Analysensysteme GmbH, Hanau, Germany). Total nitrogen was estimated considering the %N in the soil samples, converted into kg of N per hectare; accordingly considering the volume, bulk density, and the weight of the soil in 1 hectare. Finally, inorganic nitrogen (the available form of N) was calculated by multiplying each value by 0.035, as 3 to 4% of the total N in the Yaqui Valley soils is typically inorganic. The reported value represents an average of 15 samples. The land was prepared using fallow and primary tillage, which included chiseling and plowing. Durum wheat (_Triticum turgidium_ L. subsp. _durum_), specifically the commercial cultivar CIRNO C2008, was sown on 2 December 2021, using a seeder (SUB-24) with three rows per furrow, at a seed density of 120 kg ha\({}^{-1}\), under field conditions, following the common wheat crop management of the Yaqui Valley on a vertisol soil--without crop rotation. Disease, insect, and weed management were carried out as follows (all products were diluted in 40 L of water and applied using a backpack pesticide sprayer): for weed control (broadleaf herbs), 2 L ha\({}^{-1}\) of Paraquat 30.1% (Gramoxone SL 2.0, Syngenta, Basel, Switzerland) were applied 5 days before planting; once the crop germinated (13 days after sowing), a mixture of 2,4-D dimethylamine salt 70.53% (Amina 6, AgroLucava, Celaya, Mexico) (1 L ha\({}^{-1}\)) and Fluroxypyr: 1-methylheptyl ester 45.52% (Starane, Corteva, Seville, Spain) (0.5 L ha\({}^{-1}\)) was applied. For the control of aphids, 80 days after sowing: Imidacloprid 18.8% + Lambda Cyhalotrin 13.6% (Corax SC, Lapisa, La Piedad, Mexico) (200 mL ha\({}^{-1}\)), and to control leaf rust: Propiconazole 25.5% (Sanazole 250 EC, Velsimex, Mexico City, Mexico) (600 mL ha\({}^{-1}\)). Mono-ammonium phosphate (100 kg ha\({}^{-1}\)) was applied by broadcasting on the sowing date, and urea was applied in bands and fractionated as follows: 30% during pre-planting, 60% at the first irrigation, and 10% at the second irrigation. The irrigation water was 14 cm, and the irrigation time was 12 h. Harvest occurred 171 days after sowing (Figure 1).