Among the environmental factors the water can be considered the one with the highest influence in the germination process. The aim of this work was to evaluate the different periods of watermelon seeds pre-soaking and its effects on seedlings growth and development.. The treatments constituted of different periods of pre-soaking: 0, 12, 24, 48 and 72h. The experimental design was completely randomized with four replicates. At 6 and 12 days after sowing, 5 plants of each replicate were collected and evaluated: main root, shoot and total length; fresh and dry mass of the main root, shoot and total.. The pre-soaking of the seeds for 12h has helped to increase the % E. In general, the seedlings obtained from seed treatments pre-soaked for 48 and 72 hs, were the ones that showed higher values for the growth and development characteristics evaluated.
Citrullus lanatus L.; emergence percentage; greenhouse
