Objectives: To understand the response of yellow-seeded(YS)rapeseed and black-seeded(BS)rapeseed toabiotic stresses and the difference of seed structure between YS and BS seeds.Methods: A turnip rapeseed cultivar Guang-De-Hua-Zi (abbreviated as GDHZ),a local Chinese land race,was used in the study.Seed micromorphology,seed germination and permeability traitswere analyzed.For stress treatments,biomass,MDA,chlorophyll content,antioxidant activities and ion accumulation were analyzed.Results: We observed largerand denser(in arrangement)oilbodies in YS than in BS varieties.The BS variety seed coatwas much thicker than that of the YS variety because of the existence of a palisade layerwhere pigments are deposited.Either at the eighth day or one month after sowing,YSseedlings showed higher sensitivity to NaCl and/or CdCl2 stress than BS seedlings,asreflected by the length of roots,biomass,and a variety of physiological parameters,including MDA,chlorophyll content,and antioxidant activities.Poor performance of YS seedlings under stress treatment(especially withNaCl)could be attributed to its relatively low flavonoid content.Conclusions: YS rapeseed are more sensitive to stress environments.the cultivation of YS rapeseed should be confined to regions with soils of little abioticstresses.