Developing cropping systems resilient to variable moisture conditions is critical for sustainable agriculture in dryland regions. This study assessed the effects of pulse crop stubble on the yield and water-use efficiency of subsequent wheat and canola crops under dry and wet conditions. Field experiments were conducted from 2018 to 2023 at four sites in the Canadian prairies: Swift Current, Scott, and Melfort in Saskatchewan; and Lacombe in Alberta, representing diverse soil types and moisture regimes. Six fully-phased rotations were conducted at each site. In dry years, the yield of wheat seeded into pulse stubble decreased by up to 75.6% compared to non-pulse stubble, but increased by up to 23.3% in wet years. The yield of canola seeded into pulse stubble were 8.1-25.4% higher in wet years but up to 10.5% lower in dry years, compared to those seeded into non-pulse stubble. Wheat yield responses to precipitation were greater following pulse crops (regression slopes 15-17) than non-pulse crops (10-12). We proposed the linear and non-linear Moisture-Driven Pulse Stubble Effect (MDPSE) model framework, which explains that crops seeded into pulse stubble are more sensitive to precipitation variability relative to crops seeded to non-pulse stubble. The yield of wheat seeded into pulse stubble increased when precipitation exceeded 290 mm, but declined below this threshold compared to wheat seeded into non-pulse stubble. This study demonstrated that precipitation, soil, and crop stubble interacted to determine yield and precipitation use efficiency, providing a mechanistic framework for designing climate-resilient pulse crop-based rotations in dryland and semi-arid regions.