In order to study the effect of cadmium stress on the growth and photosynthetic performance of different rice varieties, a group of CdCl2?2.5H2O, with four coencetrations, 0(distilled water), 0.05, 0.10, 0.20 mmol/L were used to culture six rice varieties. A batch of planting parameters including seedling height, young root length, fresh and dry weight of seedlings, chlorophyll content of leaves and chlorophyll fluorescence parameters of six different rice varieties(28zhan, Huanghuazhan, Fenghuazhan, Huangyuezhanxuan, Aixiuzhan, Huangyuezhan) were collected to investigate the effect of cadmium on the rice growing. The results show that seedling height, root length, fresh weight and dry weight decreased with the increase of Cd stress concentration. Among them, 28zhan and Huanghuazhan rice varieties with high resistance to cadmium stress showed significant advantages in seedling height, root length, fresh weight and dry weight under cadmium stress compared with other four rice varieties with medium or low resistance to cadmium stress. They still maintained a certain speed of seedling growth and material accumulation, which showed that they had stronger resistance to cadmium stress at seedling stage. With the increase of Cd stress concentration, the chlorophyll content of leaves of six rice varieties showed a downward trend; the initial minimum fluorescence of PSⅡ for photosynthesis(F0) increased gradually; the potential maximum photochemical efficiency(Fv/Fm) decreased gradually; the actual quantum efficiency of photochemical conversion(ФPSⅡ)decreased, and the apparent photosynthetic electron transport efficiency(ETR) decreased. There were significant differences in seedling growth and photosynthetic performance among rice varieties with different cadmium stress resistance. The growth performance of rice varieties with low resistance to cadmium stress was lower than that of rice varieties with high resistance and medium resistance to cadmium stress, and the destruction of photosynthetic performance of cadmium stress were forceder than other varieties.