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Plant growth and yield of cereal crops are seriously affected in drought-prone environments, hence effective agricultural means are needed. This paper aims to evaluate the beneficial effects of supplemental irrigation, at different phenological phases, on theoretical yield components of two varieties (GTA-Dur and Vitron) of durum wheat under field conditions. Field experiments included six water regime treatments: crop evapotranspiration ’ETc’ throughout the wheat-growing season (i.e. adequately irrigated); rainfed conditions (no irrigation); and four supplemental irrigation treatments (T1-T4) applied respectively at the beginning of four phenological phases of wheat growth (tillering, heading, flowering and grain filling). Yield components were significantly influenced at the beginning of the cropping season, while the components expressed in weights were influenced at late cropping. Theoretical grain yield of the variety Vitron increased by 33% at T1, 84.3% at T2, 424% at T3, 902% at T4 and 1100% at ETc. Water productivity (WP) increased by 45-70% in irrigation treatments compared to rainfed conditions. Our findings stress that the consistency between appropriate water regime and adequate varietal choice increases WP and crop productivity, and improves irrigation water conservation. Complementary irrigation substantially improves the valorization of water by crops in water-limited areas such as hot arid and semi-arid regions. (c) 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.