A high γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) production strain lactobacillus (w1-9), which being isolated from Sichuan pickle has been identified as Lactobacillus plantarum in terms of morphology, physiological and biochemical characteristics and 16S rDNA sequence analysis. This strain can produce 2.18 g/L GABA within 3 days in the MRS medium that contain 10 g/L glutamate (Glu). The result of the optimization showed that using cucumber juice as medium, with initial pH 5.5, the monosodium glutamate (MSG) inputs is 12 g/L, and the lactobacillus input is 1.2%. Under the condition, the GABA production can reach to 7.62 g/L.