Field experiment we attempted to clarify the mechanism that might be involved in the ameliorative effects of α-tocopherol on faba bean plants grown under different Cd levels. The effect of α-tocopherol on MDA, glutathione contents, antioxidant enzyme activities and growth parameters.These were studied in plants grown in a nutrient solution supplemented with different concentrations of Cd (0 or 150μmol/l) and sprayed with α-tocopherol at concentrations of 0, 50 and 100 mg/l. Heavy metal stress caused an increase in malondialdehyde (MDA) content and the activity of certain enzymes, but glutathione were strongly depressed at relatively high Cd levels. Application of α tocopherol caused a significant increase in ascorbate peroxidase (APX) and catalase (CAT) activity in the plant compared with untreated plants. Antioxidant activities are enhanced, helping to reduce oxidative damage and develop tolerance to heavy metal stress in α-tocopherol-treated bean plants. This α-tocopherol-induced increase in tolerance to heavy metal stress. The results show that treatment with α-tocopherol reduced the adverse effects of Cd stress on bean plants and may play a key role in stress tolerance.