Watermelon (Citrullus vulgaris Schrad.) cotyledons were excised from the seed after 24 h of imbibition and incubated for different times (ranging from 1 to 240 min) on filter paper saturated with 0.1 mM BA (benzyladenine) solution. After the incubation in BA the cotyledons were thoroughly rinsed in water and grown for 5 days in darkness on filter paper saturated with distilled water. Continuous presence of BA is not a prerequisite for optimal growth. Several effects of the hormone (stimulation of expansion growth, acceleration of lipid breakdown, enhancement of hydroxypyruvate reductase activity, increase in carotenoid content) are more intensive if the cotyledons are treated with BA for a relatively short time and then grown in water. Maximal effects are observed after a 4 h exposure to BA. A single 1 min exposure is sufficient to elicit measurable effects on growth, hydroxypyruvate reductase and carotenoid content. The sensitivity to very short exposures is considerably different for different hormone effects. Carotenoid content and hydroxypyruvate reductase activity are enhanced much more than expansion growth.