The effect of 5 different methods of sugar beet seed treatment on seed vigour was examined. The methods were: rubbing, conditioning, alternating magnetic field treatment, rubbing in combination with alternating magnetic field treatment, conditioning in combination with alternating magnetic field treatment. Some treatments influencing the true sugar beet seed inside the pericarp (conditioning, conditioning with 16 Hz treatment) caused an increase of seed respiration on the 1st day of germination. The average respiration increased during the 3 days of the experiment. Only two seed treatments – conditioned and conditioned together with magnetic field treatment – reached their maximum respiration on the 2nd day after the beginning of germination.