Abstract: To explore the drought tolerance mechanism of safflower and provide a basis for breeding drought tolerant varieties, we studied the effect of drought stress on the germination and growth of safflower germplasm. We measured the germination rate and seedling growth index of 10 safflower germplasm under drought stress which simulated by PEG- 6000 and analyzed each measurement index by fuzzy subordinate function. The results showed that: low concentration (5%) of PEG had a positive effect on germination of safflower seeds, while 15% of PEG had a significant inhibitory effect on the germination. Therefor, 15% PEG concentration was used to identify the drought resistance of safflower germplasm. Under drought stress, the seed germination energy, the seed germination rate, hypocotyl weight and cotyledon weight of the 10 safflower germplasm all decreased, and the growth of embryos was inhibited; the effects of drought on the length and weight of root of different germplasm were inconsistent. Grain drought resistant index (GDRI) and subordinate function value are used to evaluate the comprehensive drought resistance at germination stage of 10 safflower germplasms, BXY1465 is the material with high drought resistance at germination stage, BXY512, BXY426, BXY1466 and BXY1859 are the materials with moderate drought resistance at germination stage, BXY1805, BXY2527, BXY2110, BXY750 and WH0086 are the materials with low drought resistance at germination stage.