To ensure rapid and uniform germination selected seeds should be soaked for 24 hours in clean water or in solution of seed treating chemical and then incubated in a warm shady place for 36-48 hours after draining away the water. The seeds are never allowed to dry up by occasional moistening. Optimum temperature for germination of paddy seeds is 30⁰C. In higher and lower temperature germination becomes slow and less. In  winter months when temperature remains low warm water is sprinkled intermittently on the incubated seeds to hasten germination.