| Seed dormancy impacts seed germination success and seedling health. Ethylene plays a crucial role in facilitating the breaking of seed dormancy by initiating essential biochemical and physiological changes that are necessary for successful seed growth and development. It was hypothesized that acetylene (C 2 H 2 ) from calcium carbide (CaC 2 ) has the potential to induce an ethylene response in seed for breaking seed dormancy and better seedling growth. A study was conducted to evaluate the impacts of C 2 H 2 released from ten CaC 2 concentrations, i.e., 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, and 20 mg petri-plate -1 , on seed dormancy and seedling growth in sweet pepper. Results indicated that CaC 2 significantly induced 100% early seed germination, with significant improvements in post-germination variables. CaC 2 applied at 14 mg petri-plate -1 was found to be an optimum dose for regulating seed dormancy and post-germination growth positively. However, CaC 2 >16 mg petri-plate -1 proved lethal and suppressed the germination or growth of the seedlings. Compared to control treatment, improvements in seed sermination and growth variables, i.e., 8 to 37% in seed germination, 5 to 22% in seedling biomass, 5 to 46% in shoot length, and 3 to 37% in root length, suggest that calcium carbide, easily available on the market, can be used for seed dormancy breakage and better crop stand.