Controlled hydration treatment of tobacco seeds enhanced seed performance greatly without additional materials associated with conventional osmotic or solid matrix priming technique. The seeds were hydrated by adding water to a level from 10 to 60% by 5% increments and incubated for 8 days at $25^{circ}C$. After the treatment, the seeds were dried to the original seed moisture content under $20^{circ}C$ for 72 hours. The moisture content of tobacco seeds equivalent to 35% by the hydration treatment gave the greatest improvement in germination rate and speed compared to untreated or polyethylene glycol (PEG) primed seeds, especially at low temperature of $15^{circ}C$.