In the years 2000–2002, the research was done on a possibility of the tomato (Lycopersicon esculemntum Mill.) “Etna F₁” seeds priming. Three commercial seed lots produced in China were used. They were hydrated for 6 and 12 hours in the distilled water and water solutions of Cebion (vitamin C), KNO₃ and Gibrescol (GA₃) as well as from 24 hours to 14 days in the solutions of KNO₃ and PEG 8000. Six and 12 hours hydrations of the seeds in KNO₃ solutions improved their germination measured after 72 hours and shortened their mean germination time (MGT) expressed by the Pieper’s rate. Seeds of the two tested lots, which without priming germinated after 3 days in 49.7% and 39.7%, respectively, when hydrated for 6 hours in the KNO₃ solution, germinated in 81.3% and 76.7%, respectively. The same seeds, when hydrated for 12 hours in the solution, germinated in 85.0% and 77.0%, respectively. MGT for the seeds of the first tested lot decreased from 3.6 days (check), when hydrating in the KNO₃ solution for 6 and 12 hours, to 3.3 and 3.2 days, respectively. For the second seed lot, the received Pieper’s rate was shortened from 3.8 days (check) to 3.4 days for both times of hydration. It was also possible to effectively prime seeds of tomato “Etna F₁” based on the ascorbic acid (vitamin C) solution. Long-term priming (from 1 to 14 days) of the “Etna F₁” seeds in the solutions of KNO₃ and PEG 8000, in comparison with the check seeds, improved both their germination and germination evaluated after 72 hours. It also shortened MGT of the tested seeds. The seeds soaked for 24 hours in the solutions of KNO₃ and PEG 8000 had, after their priming, the germination 60.0% and 58.0%, respectively. After 14 days, this parameter was 67.0% for both solutions in comparison with the germination rate for the non-primed seeds – 38.0%. The germination of the seeds measured after 72 hours increased, after 24 hours of soaking, from 20.0% for the check seeds to 39.0% for the seeds soaked in KNO₃ solution and 51.0% for the seeds soaked in PEG 8000 solution. The maximum values of this parameter for the tested solutions received after 10 days of the primed seeds were 64.0% and 65.0%, respectively. MGT of the check seeds was 5.6 days, whereas after 24 hours of priming in the solutions of KNO₃ and PEG 8000, it lowered to 5.4 and 4.4 days, respectively. MGT of the seeds hydrated in both solutions for 14 days was 3.0 days. The received results of priming of the tomato seeds showed a necessity to describe each time optimal conditions of this technological activity for a given seed lot.