The dormancy characteristics of oat seed that can germinate after one season or one year are used to build and maintain vegetation to protect soils from desertification in Northern China The aim of this study was to estimate the effects of endogenous and exogenous GA(3) and ABA on oat seed (Avena sativa L. BaiYan 7) germination The results showed that seed without peel hull had lower endogenous ABA content and the ratio of ABA/GA(3) than seeds with peel hull. The best GA(3) treatment duration for milky ripe, wax ripe, full ripe seeds were 60 min (m) or 120 m, 60 m and 30 m, respectively. Seed germination rate, germination potential and germination index all increased then decreased with the increasing of GA(3) concentrations. The best GA(3) concentration treatment was 100 mg L-1, while the turning point was 200 mg L-1. The dormancy rate of low temperature storage seeds was higher than those stored in room temperature at each storage time, and both decreased with the increase of the storage time. New seeds or stored for 1-2 months, had significantly enhanced germination rate by exogenous GA(3). GA3 treatment had no effect on germination rate for the seeds that had been stored for over 3 months. Germination rate decreased with the increase of ABA concentrations. The most inhibitive effect, which lead to reduction of seed germination by 37.7% and 4.0%, when the concentration of ABA was 500 mg L-1 and 1000 mg L-1, respectively. GA(3) could decrease the inhibition effect of ABA on seed germination