Winter hardiness of plants depends on many factors: plant species, variety, duration of quenching phase and meteorological conditions. The reaction to stressful influences during the autumn-winter period is the changes in the cellular metabolism, in which the accumulation of various substances that protect plants from death occurs. Proline is a multifunctional amino acid, that accumulates in high concentrations in response to various abiotic stresses. The purpose of this study is to identify species and varietal differences in the accumulation of proline in winter crops in the Republic of Tatarstan. The material for research was the leaves of winter wheat plants (Triticum aestivum L.), winter rye (Secale cereale L.) and winter triticale (Triticosecale Witt.). The experiments were carried out under conditions of natural stress factors of three consecutive growing seasons of 2014-2017. To determine the state of wintering plants in dynamics, the content of free proline was determined by the Bates method. It is shown that the average values of proline content in winter rye and triticale increased from October to December, but decreased in February. Winter wheat had a further increase in the indicator. The amplitude of the oscillations in December in winter rye was 5.18-13.52 μmol/g, in winter triticale - 9.47-23.15 μmol/g, in winter wheat - 25.81-32.98 μmol/g. The greatest variability of proline values in the studied cultures was noted in February. For each of the winter crops, its reaction rate according to this criterion was revealed. However, there is an intraspecific specific character of the dynamics of the synthesis and breakdown of free proline. Among the studied varieties and hybrids of winter rye, 3 groups differed among themselves. The concentration of proline in the leaves of winter triticale approximated to the values of winter rye, and according to the dynamics of accumulation - to winter wheat.