AbstractSeedling growth, protein, soluble amino nitrogen, and proteolytic activity of serido beans (Vigna sinensis) were studied during the first 6 days of germination. Cotyledon dry weight decreased constantly with germination time, reaching at the 6th day 27% of the weight it had at day 0. Embryo‐axis dry weight increased during the same period, amounting to 79% of the total weight of the seedling at the 6th day of germination. Cotyledon proteins increased slightly during the 1st day of germination and then decreased until the end of the experimental period. Cotyledonary soluble amino nitrogen stayed constant for the 1st day of germination, increased up to the 3rd day, and then fell steadily until the 5th day. Embryo‐axis soluble amino nitrogen followed the same pattern as the embryo‐axis proteins, that is, a slight increase during the first 3 days, a pronounced increase from the 3rd to the 5th, and a leveling off from this day on. Proteolytic activity was studied at pH 3.5 and pH 6.0. Both proteases increased in activity during the first 3 days of germination, at which point they reached their maximum activities. From this day on their activities fell continuously, reaching on the 6th day values slightly higher than those of day 0. These observations appear to indicate that contrary to pea cotyledon proteases, serido bean protesaes are intimately associated with reserve protein degrad