Abstract: The seeds of Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa) were soaked in a range of concentrations of biogas slurry from water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) fermentation. The effects of the slurry on seed germination, growth, chlorophyll content and changes of antioxidant enzymes in Chinese cabbages were studied. The germination energy and germination percentage increased with an increase of biogas slurry concentration, but the differences were not significant compared with the controls. The germination index and vigor index increased markedly with an increased concentration of biogas slurry. With the exception of Z1 and Z4, the root lengths increased significantly compared with the controls as did shoot height, fresh weight and dry weight: All these parameters increased markedly with an increase of biogas slurry concentration. Although the parameters decreased in the treatment of purified biogas slurry, they were significantly different from the control. The trend of chlorophyll content and antioxidant enzyme activities changed as for the growth parameters. Therefore, the physiological and biochemical parameters could be used as a simple index for quickly assessing the feasibility of soaking seeds in water hyacinth biogas slurry to improve germination.