Taking three-year-old seeds of Rheum officinale as the test materials,orthogonal experimental method with three factors and four levels was conducted to study the effects of soaking time,substrate water content and hormones on seed germination and seedling characteristics,in order to provide reference for the standardization and scale development of seedling breeding of R.officinale.The results showed that the seed emergence rate was the best when the soaking time was 6 hours and the substrate water content was 70%.The seedling leaf area,plant height,aboveground weight and fresh weight of T16(24 hours,70%,gibberellic acid)were the best.T8(12 hours,70%,IAA)had the best stem diameter and soluble protein content in leaves.The root length and leaf peroxidase activity treated with T7(12 hours,60%,salicylic acid)were the best.The content of malondialdehyde in leaves treated with T10(18 hours,50%,salicylic acid)was the best.Superoxide dismutase activity of seedling leaves treated with T5(12 hours,40%,6-BA)was the best.The results of correlation analysis and range analysis showed that the best theoretical scheme for seedling breeding of R.officinale was soaking seeds for 18 hours,maintaining 70%water content and spraying salicylic acid.