The development of wheat cultivars with better adaptation to arid and semi-arid climates is necessary for the U.S. SGP to sus- tain agricultural and economic viability. The winter wheat cultivars TAM 111 and TAM 112 are characterized by distinct adaptation mechanisms to the water-limited environments of the SGP. How- ever, the physiological and molecular basis of these adaptation mechanisms remains unknown. In light of previous reports of dif- ferences in the WD stress responses, the basis of physiological responses at the whole-plant level and gene expression, and ABA analysis at flag-leaf levels under WD treatment were explored.