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Drought occurring at critical growth and developmental stages in cereals affects productivity by reducing biomass accumulation, grain set, and grain yield and quality. Maize (cv. SR‐73), sorghum (cv. Trump), and wheat (cv. Spear) were established in drought‐prone field conditions in Perth, Western Australia, in l994. The plants were then subjected to optimal and suboptimal supplementary watering regimes at growth stages that were sensitive to water availability. Glycinebetaine in aqueous solution was applied to leaves at three rates (2, 4 and 6 kg ha⁻¹ and a control) to establish whether its application could ameliorate the effects of drought on the yield of the crops. Above‐ground biomass production was measured at the beginning and at termination of the watering regimes. Leaf tissue glycinebetaine concentrations were determined 1 and 3 weeks after application. At physiological maturity, grains from the crops …