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The estimating water requirement of durum wheat is a technical tool which seats a practical water management. The water needs of durum wheat grown on the High Plains of Setif raised sharply by the first decade of march. In fact, it reached 46 mm from the mid of the tillering to the mid of jointing (march - april) and raised to 103 mm during the booting - heading growth phase. For a crop cycle lasting from the mid-november to the third decade of may, the crop water requirements were estimated to 672 mm. The periods with the high water demand coincide with limited offer. These results suggested applying limited water quantities to reduce water deficit effect on the crop. This contributes to stabilize wheat production through soil conservation and durable management of the scarce water resources in semi-arid area. (C) 2012 Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and/or peer-review review under responsibility of The TerraGreen Society.