Abstract: Transgenic plants are more tolerant to environmental stresses than untransformed plants. The pea ABR17 (Abscisic acid responsive 17) is used to enhance germination of plants such as Arabidopsis sp. and Brassica sp. while under multiple abiotic stresses, and to enhance the tolerance of these plants to these stresses. Three independently derived Arabidopsis transgenic lines, containing ABR17, germinated better in the presence of salt, cold temperature or both. The transgenic plants also exhibited enhanced tolerance to freezing temperature or extreme heat. Furthermore, the transgenic plants demonstrated early flowering even under normal, non-stressed conditions.