The response of Beta vulgaris L. seeds to pre-treatment with salicylic acid (SA) was investigated at the early seedling stage and focused on germination indices to evaluate seed quality at a particular treatment. To achieve this goal, beet seeds were treated with various concentrations of salicylic acid (0.4, 0.8, 1.2, 1.6, 2.0, 2.4, 2.8, 3.2, 3.6, 4.0, 4.4, 4.8, 5.2, 5.6, 6.0 and 6.4 mM) along with control. The experiment was conducted with a dark red variety of beet seeds. Seeds exhibited more tolerance up to 2.0 mM SA treatment. High concentrations (>2.0 mM) of SA delayed the mean germination time of seeds and increased relative injury rate and seedling height reduction. However, germination percentage, germination index, seed vigor, water uptake percentage reduced significantly. Total inhibition of seed germination was found at 5.2 to 6.4 mM SA treatment. Rudimentary seedling growth was observed from 3.6 mM SA to further treatments. From morphological results, this study proposes that up to 2.0 mM of salicylic acid treatment may be helpful in seed germination and seedling growth of the beet. Also, this study might be helpful for further research on the influence of salicylic acid on the growth and development of beets.