Abstract

In Chile, the national area cultivated with durum wheat was 28,178 hectares, concentrated between 32º55’S and 37º28’S, with some planting in 38º40’S y 40º51ºS. Until 2015/16 the national production of durum wheat kept a sustained growth increasing from 98,690 Tons in 2011/2012 to 200,929 Tons the season 2015/16. Nevertheless, the seasons 2015/16 and 2016/17 the national production suffered important losses above 30% of grain yield and quality decay. The aim of this study is determinate, in field conditions, the effect of climate fluctuations, temperatures and precipitations, registered along the growth period of crop, in three representative sites of Mediterranean area (Figure 1): Los Tilos, near to Santiago ( 34º 11’ 00’’S; 71º 46’ 00’’ West; 269 m.a.l.s), Santa Rosa (36° 36’ 00’’S; 72° 07’ 00’’W; 124 m.a.s.l.), and Los Angeles ( 37º28’S 72º21’W; 139 m.a.s.l), during 2015/16, 2016/17 and 2017/18. We evaluate duration of vegetative and reproductive phases, plant height, hectoliter weight, semoline color, protein content and grain yield in three national durum wheat varieties Llareta-INIA, Lleuque-INIA and Queule-INIA.