Yield under water stress (YS) is used as the main criterion in the selection of wheat varieties for dry Mediterranean environments. It has been proposed that selection of genotypes using YS assisted by morphological and physiological traits associated with YS, is more efficient in selecting high yielding genotypes for dry environments. A study was carried out at the Antumapu Experiment Station of the University of Chile, located in Santiago, Chile (33°40’S and 70° 38’ W). The objective was to evaluate the extent to which morpho physiological traits could explain YS. For this purpose, grain yield and yield components of 185 durum wheat genotypes from ICARDA (International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas) and INIA (Chilean National Institute for Agricultural research) were evaluated along with seed size and weight, days to heading (DH), glaucousness (GLAU), plant height (PH) and 13C discrimination (∆). The design was an -lattice with two replications, the genotypes were grown in two different water conditions (high and low irrigation) during two seasons (2011-2012/2012-2013). Grain weight (GW) was the only yield component with high H associated with YS, but it was not associated with yield under high irrigation (YI). The combination of YI with DH+GLAU+PH+∆+GW obtained in LI environments explained a greater fraction of YS (38%) across years; these traits had lower genotype x environment interaction than YS, they also explained a higher proportion of yield under drought than YI. None of the traits studied could replace YS in selections for grain yield It is concluded that these traits could aid in the selection of durum wheat subject to water stress, particularly in early generations.

Understanding the physiological mechanisms of response that allow plants to survive under suboptimal conditions such as drought stress is of particular interest, because of global climate change that threat the suitability of most terrestrial habitats for plant growth, as well as habitat disturbance of desert plants due to water extraction for human supply. Prosopis tamarugo Phil. of the Pampa del Tamarugal is frequently subjected to drought stress due to groundwater extraction for urban areas, mining industry and agriculture supply. The aim of this review is to analyze information concerning the plant growth response to drought stress and specifically P. tamarugo water relations and growth response to drought stress. P. tamarugo, being a desert plant, has physiological mechanisms that permit its adaptation to extreme environmental conditions like the Pampa del Tamarugal. It has mechanisms as osmotic adjustment, that allow some growth through osmoregulation; changes the angle of its leaflets to avoid high levels of radiation in the afternoon; partially closes its stomata to decrease water loss; maintains high stomata conductance to deal with increasing temperature and atmospheric demand.

The effect of water deficit on growth, water status and stomatal functioning of Prosopis tamarugo was investigated under controlled water conditions. The study was done at the Antumapu Experiment Station of the University of Chile. Three levels of water stress were tested: (i) well-watered (WW), (ii) medium stress intensity (low-watered (LW)) and (iii) intense stress (non-watered (NW)), with 10 replicates each level. All growth parameters evaluated, such as twig growth, specific leaf area and apical dominance index, were significantly decreased under water deficit. Tamarugo twig growth decreased along with twig water potential. The stomatal conductance and CO₂ assimilation decreased significantly under the water deficit condition. Tamarugo maintained a high stomatal conductance at low leaf water potential. In addition, tamarugo reduced its leaf area as a strategy to diminish the water demand. These results suggest that, despite a significant decrease in water status, tamarugo can maintain its growth at low leaf water potential and can tolerate intense water deficit due to a partial stomatal closing strategy that allows the sustaining of CO₂ assimilation in the condition of reduced water availability.

The use of wheat varieties with dwarfing genes has permitted the achievement of great increases in production. Nevertheless, it is still unclear how these genes affect the yield and the physiology of the wheat. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the effect of plant height on yield, the stability of yield and the distribution of the assimilates of the distinct components of yield. The bread wheat cultivar Santa Helena and eleven close lines to isogenetic derivatives of this cultivar and carriers of the dwarfing genes Rht1 and/or Rht2 were utilized. The trial was evaluated over three seasons, two in Mexico and one in Chile. The semi-dwarf isolines yielded 21% more than the other groups in all environments, while the tall line only yielded above the average in the poorest environments. As well, the semi-dwarf plants obtained greater biomass (13,746 and 12,974 kg; P < 0.05) and a greater harvest index (0.40; P <= 0.05). This higher yield was due to an increase in the number of grains per spike (22%), which implied and larger number of grains per square meter. However, no differences were observed between isolines in the accumulation of biomass no in the magnitude of the radiation intercepted in the spike growing period. The weight of the grains reduced on reducing the height of the plant. The dwarf lines delayed an average of 4 days more in arriving at shooting and anthesis than the tall isoline and 2 days more than the semi-dwarfs.