Durum wheat variety testing under high and low input cultivation

Durum wheat is an important crop for Arizona agriculture, but its cultivation relies on abundant irrigation and nitrogen fertilizer. Future climatic scenarios require a shift to agricultural systems based on lower inputs which are likely to impact on yield and quality of crops. This study is designed to assess the impact of reduced quantities of water and nitrogen on grain yield and quality of durum wheat varieties that are currently available to the farmers. Plant metabolism is regarded as a functional intermediate of the plant physiological status and metabolite analysis is used in stress physiology to shed light on mechanisms of tolerance. In this study, low input-induced metabolic changes in the durum wheat varieties will be determined and their relationship with grain yield and quality performance will be analyzed. These relationships will help to inform new public and private research efforts aimed at maintaining grain yield and quality of durum wheat grown under a low input cultivation scenario that will need to be adopted in the near future in the US southwest desert farming areas.