The present study is framed in a research project associating MAI-Bari, INRA-France and ICARDA. The objective is to analyse the combined effect of salinity and drought on the water behaviour of durum wheat variety Cham-1 identified as tolerant to these two types of stress. Under salt stress, the saline treatments show a reduction in the cropping cycle and leaf area. Grain and straw yields are significantly affected when the soil salinity exceeds 5.8 dS/m. Water use efficiency for grain yield is higher under saline conditions. In salt stress associated with drought, the reductions in cropping cycle and leaf growth are much more severe. Lastly for the same soil salinity level the treatments submitted to drought show lower grain and straw yields than the treatments not submitted to drought. Under drought conditions, the grain and straw yield reduction coefficients show stable values in a wide range of soil water salinity.
