To establish the best conditions for germination, calorimetric experiments were conducted with individual soybean seeds (Glycine max [L.] Merr.) under different conditions of imbibition at 24.7 degrees C. The calorimetric curves were analysed for imbibition and metabolic processes and compared with imbibition curves to establish a general methodology that could be used to evaluate inter- and intra-species physical and physiological variability. Measurements of pH were performed during the determination of the imbibition curves. The best experimental method for calorimetric investigations of seed germination is to insert the seed in 1% agar instead of placing the seed over wetted filter paper disks. Correlation of imbibition experiments and pH results with mass specific enthalpy of imbibition (determined in a KCN solution) or mass specific enthalpy of germination when seeds were germinated in 1% agar allowed determination of the water content needed for soybean seeds of the cultivar studied (A7636 RG) to activate their metabolic machinery (74-80% or 2.5-3 h) and the moment in which they are ready for root protrusion (122% or 9 h). The method presented here should be useful for evaluating soybean coat permeability to water and other factors related to seed damage before and during harvest and storage. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.