Abstract: Multidrug-resistant bacteria has become a major problem in plant disease control. Therefore it is of great importance to develop new bacteria control strategies. The quorum sensing (QS) is a kind of communication coordination mechanism that exists between microorganisms and depends on the density of bacteria. This system controls the growth, proliferation, virulence, biofilm formation and group activities of bacteria. Quorum sensing inhibitors can suppress the expression of bacterial virulence genes, while they do not affect the growth of bacteria, which avoids the risk of bacterial resistance. This is a novel antibacterial mechanism which has great potential in the development of new anti infective drugs. This review focuses on the quorum sensing mechanism of bacteria, natural and synthetic quorum sensing inhibitors, and the application of selected quorum sensing inhibitors.