Abstract: Heavy metal contamination in agricultural soil could cause the accumulation of heavy metals in plants. While plants suffer from toxicity of heavy metals，they could also operate avoidance and tolerance mechanisms to resist heavy metal poisoning. This paper reviewed the research progress on plant resistance to heavy metal stress in terms of root exudates，subcellular structures，chelation，osmoregulation，and antioxidant systems，aiming to provide reference for further research in this field.

Key words: heavy metal stress, root exudates, subcellular structure, chelation, osmoregulation, antioxidant system