Plants activate biochemical responses to combat stress. (Hemi-)biotrophic pathogens are fended off by systemic acquired resistance (SAR), a primed state allowing plants to respond faster and stronger upon subsequent infection. Here, we show that SAR-like defences in barley (Hordeum vulgare) are propagated between neighboring plants, which respond with enhanced resistance to the volatile cues from infected senders. The emissions of the sender plants contained 15 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) associated with infection. Two of these, β-ionone and nonanal, elicited resistance upon plant exposure. Whole genome transcriptomics analysis confirmed that inter-plant propagation of defence in barley is established as a form of priming. Although gene expression changes were more pronounced after challenge infection of the receiver plants with Blumeria graminis f. sp. hordei, differential gene expression in response to the volatile cues of the sender plants included an induction of HISTONE DEACETYLASE 2 (HvHDA2) and priming of TETRATRICOPEPTIDE REPEAT-LIKE superfamily protein (HvTPL). Because HvHDA2 and HvTPL transcript accumulation was also enhanced by exposure of barley to β-ionone and nonanal, our data identify both genes as possible defence/priming markers in barley. Our results further suggest that VOCs and plant-plant interactions are relevant for possible crop protection strategies priming defence responses in barley.