Plant defense priming involves the release of air-borne volatile organic compounds (VOCs) by plants, serving to prepare defense-related mechanisms against herbivores and pathogens in adjacent receiver plants. While the concept of VOC-mediated plant defense priming for enhancing plant resistance has garnered considerable attention in the last two decades, it has yet to be fully realized and applied in practical crop protection. This review summarizes current research, examining the spectrum of VOC-mediated plant defense priming in terms of anti-herbivore or anti-pathogen properties, the cost–benefit implications for plants, and the influence of abiotic factors on the priming. Additionally, we explore two promising approaches within the framework of Integrated Pest Management (IPM): the implementation of companion sentinel intercropping and the application of synthetic VOCs. In conclusion, we propose future research directions for this promising area, anticipating that this review will stimulate efforts aimed at harnessing the effects of plant defense priming for the development of innovative pest management strategies and optimized IPM programs in crop protection.

植物防御启动涉及植物释放空气中的挥发性有机化合物（VOC），用于准备针对邻近接收植物中的食草动物和病原体的防御相关机制。虽然VOC介导的植物防御启动以增强植物抗性的概念在过去二十年中引起了相当大的关注，但它尚未在实际作物保护中得到充分认识和应用。这篇综述总结了当前的研究，从抗草食动物或抗病原体特性、对植物的成本效益影响以及非生物因素对启动的影响方面考察了 VOC 介导的植物防御启动的范围。此外，我们在害虫综合治理（IPM）框架内探索了两种有前途的方法：实施同伴哨点间作和合成挥发性有机化合物的应用。总之，我们提出了这一前景广阔的领域的未来研究方向，预计本次综述将促进旨在利用植物防御启动效应的努力，以开发创新的害虫管理策略和优化作物保护中的 IPM 计划。