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The objectives of this work were to determine the basic germination requirements of Condalia microphylla, one of the dominant woody species in the semi-arid region of central Argentina, in the laboratory and to evaluate seedling emergence and survival under field conditions in 1988 and 1989. The germination of unscarified seeds of C. microphylla was low. Acid scarification significantly increased (p < 0.05) germination in all cases; however, seeds subjected to other scarification methods did nor germinate. The highest germination percentage of unscarified and scarified seeds occurred with a daily cycle of 15h of darkness at 20 degrees C and 9h of light at 30 degrees C. Light did not increase germination at the same temperature regime. The emergence and survival of C. microphylla seedlings were higher in 1989 than in 1988. In both study periods, the highest seedling mortality coincided with lower soil water potential and/or higher average soil temperature. (C) 1996 Academic Press Limited