Vetch （Vicia） forage species possess significant forage value and ecological functions. In the context of global climate change， abiotic stresses such as low temperature， drought， salinity， and heavy metal contamination pose severe challenges to their growth， development， yield formation， and safe utilization. Considerable research progresses on the stress resistance physiology and molecular regulatory mechanisms of vetch forage have been reported in recent years. Notable advances have been made in understanding their adaptive responses to stresses through osmotic regulation， antioxidant defense， hormonal signaling， ion homeostasis， and related gene regulatory networks. However， most existing studies have focused on single stress conditions and are limited to a few species such as common vetch （Vicia sativa）. Knowledge regarding the responses of vetch plants to combined stresses， the genetic basis of stress-resistant traits， and systematic regulatory mechanisms remains insufficient. This review systematically summarized research progress on vetch forage under abiotic stresses， including low temperature， drought， salinity， and heavy metal stress. It highlighted key physiological adaptive features and molecular regulatory patterns， and discussed future directions for stress resistance improvement and molecular breeding in light of emerging research trends such as multi-omics integration， combined stress analysis， and rhizosphere microbial interactions. The aim is to provides insights for the development of stress-resistant germplasm and the efficient utilization of vetch forage resources.

Vicia  /  Abiotic stress  /  Stress tolerance  /  Molecular regulation  /  Forage breeding