The present work has the objective of studying the interferences of water availability on the germination process of dry bean seeds. For this purpose substrates with several hydric potentials were obtained using aqueous solutions of polyethylene glycol (PEG 6000) to evaluate the water uptake by seeds and the initial development of the seedlings. It was concluded that the minimum seed moisture content required by seeds for the radicle protrusion, which is the visible indicator of the onset of germination, is between 48 and 50%. The decrease of the external hydric potential causes greater reduction in the initial development of the seedlings than on the normal process of radicle protrusion.
Phaseolus vulgaris L.; germination; polyethylene glycol; moisture; seedlings; root; bean
