The three early phases of germination are: (i) imbibition, (ii) lag phase, and (iii) protrusion of the radicle through the testa (Simon, 1984). Priming is a procedure that partially hydrates seed, followed by drying of seed, so that germination processes begin, but radicle emergence does not occur. Methods of seed priming have been described in detail by Bradford (1986) and Khan (1992) and include soaking seed in water or osmotic solution, and intermixture with porous matrix material.