Abstract: Low temperature is one of the main factors limiting crop production by affecting plant growth and development.Plants adapt to low temperature is a complex process that initialed by low temperature sensing, and then altered the physiological and biochemical metabolism.The processes referred to several genes, transcript factors and signal pathways.The present study summarized the defense responses and signal transduction mechanisms of plants adaptation to low temperature stress.A series of complex physiological and molecular adaptation mechanisms which developed during plant evolution were also reviewed.This brief review provided a novel understanding of the mechanism of plants resistance to low temperature.