Water is an essential factor for seed germination. In laboratory tests, the substrate
should be sufficiently moistened to guarantee both embryo growth and seedling formation. In the
Rules for Seed Testing adapted in Brazil, the recommendations for paper towel moisture levels
are only given for cereals and legumes. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effect
of various volumes of water in the paper towel on germination of gherkin seeds. Germination tests
were driven, being used four seeds lots, in rolled paper towel (three sheets = 18g) moistened with
volumes of water equivalent to 1.0; 1.5; 2.0; 2.5 and 3.0 times the weight of the dry substrate. For
each treatment six repetitions of 50 seeds were used, that were maintained at constant temperature
(25oC) for eight days, without posterior addition of water. The volumes of water in the range of 1.0
to 2.5 times the weight of the paper towel was favorable for seed germination and germination was
negligible when the volume of water used was 3.0 times the weight of the paper towel.