2026 Virginia Turf Applicator 3B Complete Practice Test

Problems in turf that come from living organisms—like fungi, bacteria, insects, and weeds—are described as biotic disorders. “Biotic” means related to life, so these issues arise from organisms that are alive and can interact with the turf in ways that cause disease, damage, or poor growth. In contrast, abiotic disorders come from nonliving factors such as drought, extreme temperatures, nutrient deficiencies, or chemical injury. Allelopathy is a specific plant interaction where one plant releases chemicals that affect another, not a general category for all turf problems caused by living organisms. An arachnid is just a type of organism (like spiders or mites) and doesn’t name a category of turf health issues. So the best term for turf problems caused by living organisms is biotic disorders.