At the end of the experimental phase, shoot dry matter was similar in the reference plants, 2WD plants, and 3WD plants, with 1WD plants showing higher shoot dry matter (Fig. 7A). Root dry matter and root:shoot ratio increased in plants exposed to three water deficit cycles compared to the reference plants (Fig. 7B and C). By considering the time spent under well-watered conditions (i.e., 28, 22, 16 and 10days for the reference and 1WD, 2WD and 3WD plants, respectively), we were able to estimate the growth given by the total biomass production per day (g/day with water). Our data revealed that plants exposed to three water deficit cycles presented the highest growth (Fig. 8), i.e., they were more efficient in using water resources