Calmodulin is a Ca²⁺-dependent regulatory protein in eukaryotic cells involved in a variety of intracellular activities. Many responses to abiotic stresses involve signaling by Ca²⁺ and Ca²⁺/ calmodulin regulation, including water and salinity stress. To investigate how calmodulin affects germination on media with high concentrations of NaCl, transgenic tobacco plants expressing heterologous calmodulin were generated and characterized. Transgenic tobacco seeds showed significantly shortened germination times on media containing varying salt (120-160mM) and calcium (3 and 13mM) concentrations, compared to control seeds. Using media containing 140mM NaCl and 13mM CaCl_2, the average germination time was shortened by 2-3 days compared to control (P<0.05). In addition, the germinating transgenic seeds contained higher transient levels of γ-aminobutyric acid compared to control seeds (P<0.05). The tobacco Ca²⁺/calmodulin- regulated glutamate decarboxylase, synthesizing γ-aminobutyric acid may therefore be stimulated by the heterologous calmodulin.