What term describes nonliving factors affecting plant health, such as environmental stress or chemical exposure?

• A. Abiotic
• B. Biotic Disorders
• C. Allelopathy
• D. Abiotic or Noninfectious Disorders

Answer: (A)

Abiotic refers to nonliving factors that can affect plant health. These include environmental stresses like drought, extreme temperatures, salinity, or chemical injury from pesticides or fertilizers. They cause problems even though no living organism is involved, which is why this term is used. Biotic disorders come from living agents such as fungi, bacteria, viruses, or insects, so they don’t fit the described nonliving influence. Allelopathy is about one plant releasing chemicals that affect another, a specific interaction rather than the general category of nonliving stress. The phrase “Abiotic or Noninfectious Disorders” describes the idea, but the standard single term for nonliving factors is simply abiotic.