PRE-SOAKING FOLLOWED BY DRYING ON PERFORMANCE OF COWPEA SEEDS, UNDER STRESS CONDITIONS

The effects of seed pre-soaking treatments followed by different drying periods at ambient conditions, were studied in four cultivars of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata, Walp) subjected to water stress. The experiment was carried out at greenhouse conditions, in pots containing about 1,000g of sandy soil. Sowing was done in 50% conditions of available water in the soil. The plants were collected when they reached the wilting point, without recovering turgidity early in the morning. 'Sempre Verde', followed by 'IPA-206', was the most tolerant cultivar to water deficit, and developed the lowest shoot and root dry weight. Pre-soaking treatments hastened seed germination and drying the seeds for longer periods (9 hours) resulted in increased plant susceptibility to water deficit.