Combine influence of low temperature and drought on different varieties of rapeseed (Brassica napus L.)

•The current study confirmed that in rapeseed seedlings, combine effect of low temperature and drought stress negatively impact on seedling growth and development, but this impact varies with varieties and surrounding conditions.•Four enzymes (SOD, APX, CAT and POD) can effectively regulate the influence of stress on plants, but the mechanism of stress resistance caused by the four enzymes' combined action needs further study.•Under low temperature and drought conditions, plants can not only regulate stomatal conductance of leaves and activate antioxidant enzyme system, but also regulate the content of endogenous hormones to resist the harm of adversity.•In this study, it was found that auxin, as one of the essential hormones to promote the growth of crops, continued to increase under low temperature and drought stress in a short time, especially under the interaction of temperature and water potential, which still intensified the influence of every single factor on the content of IAA.