The effect of water availability on the early growth of Solarium lycocarpum (Solanaceae) was investigated in seedlings growing in a greenhouse. On the seventh day after planting they were submitted to two different water treatments: T1 with more and T2 with less water availability. On the fifteenth day after planting, seedlings showed a germination percentage of 6.8 for T1 and 15.9 in T2. In both treatments the root length was greater than the height of the shoot, although the dry weight of the shoot was twice fold that of the roots. These results indicate an adaptive characteristic of the species to a water shortage.
Solarium lycocarpum; early growth; cerrado