Cadmium (Cd) pollution has become a serious problem following rapid industrial development. The increasing amounts of Cd in farmlands are the result of increased discharge of industrial waste, abuse of chemical fertilizers, and other man-made sources. Cd likely causes damage to crop physiology when its concentration in soil exceeds the maximum tolerable limit, resulting in growth inhibition and grain yield reduction. Continuous intake of Cd causes human health problems. Therefore, reducing Cd concentration in rice grain, a staple food for half of the world's population, is extremely important and urgent. Plant growth regulators (PGRs) are chemicals-plant endogenous hormones and artificially synthetic growth regulators-that affect and regulate plant growth and/or development at trace levels. Some PGRs play important roles in inducing plant tolerance to drought, salt, low temperature, high temperature, and heavy metals. In this study, the roles of four PGRs, abscisic acid (ABA), ethylene (ETH), salicylic acid (SA), and methyl jasmonate (MeJA), were investigated during stress responses to Cd treatments in rice. Rice seedlings, grown in heavy metal-contaminated soil, were sprayed with the four PGRs on leaves twice, one time each during tillering and filling stages. On the second day after the PGR treatments during the filling stage, the photosynthesis indices and malondialdehyde (MDA) contents of the upper leaves were analyzed. After harvesting, the roots, shoots, and grains were collected to investigate Cd content, biomass, and yield. The results were as follows: (1) The ABA treatment at 5 mg/L maintained normal rice growth and yield, while the ABA treatment at 15 mg/L showed the opposite effects. Treatment with two different levels of ETH significantly decreased the grain yield compared to that of the control. However, SA and MeJA high-level treatments maintained normal yields. (2) The exogenous application of the four PGRs inhibited stomatal opening and reduced the transpiration and photosynthetic rates. Interestingly, the most obvious inhibitory action was observed following the treatment with 0.56 mg/L MeJA. (3) Both the SA treatments, 5 mg/L ABA and 0.56 mg/L MeJA treatments, reduced MDA production and prevented plasma membrane peroxidation of leaves at the tillering stage. (4) Decreases in the Cd concentrations were observed in rice grain treated with the four PGRs at their appropriate levels, and the ABA treatment at 5 mg/L showed the strongest inhibitory effect. The grain Cd content showed positive and highly significant (P<0.01) correlation with the Cd translocation factor from shoot to grain, but it did not show a significant correlation with the transpiration rate. PGRs may inhibit the accumulation of Cd in the grain by regulating Cd transport from shoots to grain. (5) In summary, ABA treatment at 5 mg/L had no effect on grain yield but induced the maximum decline in grain Cd content compared to the treatments with other PGRs. Proper application of PGRs can reduce the Cd content in rice grain and can be used in bioremediation of heavy metal polluted farmland. For a practical application of PGRs, appropriate timing, and accurate concentrations are the critical factors to avoid negative effects of inhibited growth and reduced rice yields.