A research on durum wheat growth analysis was carried out at Sparacia farm (37 degrees 37minutes N, 13 degrees 42minutes E) during the 2000-01 and 2001-02 seasons in a typical semi-arid environment. The objective of this research was to determine the effects of crop rotation (continuous wheat and wheat-pea rotation) and N fertilizer rates (0, 60 and 120 kg per ha) on growth of four durum wheat varieties, characterized by different productive ability and adaptation. A split-split-plot design with three replications was used. The study highlighted the role of the crop growth rate (CGR) index in order to enable a better knowledge of the relationship among crop techniques and wheat yield response.