Grass pea (Lathyrus sativus L.),a leguminous crop,has very long history of cultivation and been widely cultivated.Because of its high protein content and a strong drought tolerance,it has become major sources of feed and food for the vast populations of drought-prone and marginal areas,and it has also been considered as a model crop for sustainable agriculture.With more food,protein and new food resources are needed for the growing human demand,researches on grass pea have attracted the attention of scholars around the world.In this review,we firstly summarize the recent progress made in the understanding of stress resistance in grass pea,including the resistance of drought,salinity,heavy metal and biotic stress.Meanwhile,mainly morphological characteristics adapted to drought stress are also briefly introduced.Finally,aspects of the particularly important research in the future are suggested.