Which term describes plant health problems caused by nonliving factors and includes environmental stress and chemical exposure?

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

Answer: (B)

Abiotic disorders are plant health problems caused by nonliving factors, such as environmental stress and chemical exposure. These issues are noninfectious, meaning they’re not caused by pathogens and cannot be spread by organisms. The term that includes both abiotic factors and noninfectious problems fits this description best, because it explicitly covers nonliving causes like drought, temperature extremes, salinity, and chemical injuries (for example, fertilizer burn or herbicide damage). Biotic disorders, in contrast, are due to living organisms such as fungi, bacteria, or insects, which is not what the question describes. Allelopathy is about one plant releasing chemicals that affect another, which is a specific interaction, not the general category of nonliving-factor health problems. So the phrase “Abiotic or Noninfectious Disorders” is the best fit.