Jan 24, 2011

Glossary

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Abiotic stress factors

Stress factors that are not caused or influenced by living things (from the Greek abios = without life)

Plants are exposed to a range of different environmental factors, depending on their location. An environmental factor that leads to stress in a plant is called a stress factor. Plants are said to be stressed if their growth or reproductive ability is affected. This leads to yield losses and reduced quality.

Drought, heat, frost, saline soils, a shortage of nutrients and pH value are abiotic stress factors. The influence of abiotic stress factors will increase worldwide as a result of climate change.

Plants react to stress factors with morphological, physiological and biochemical adaptations designed to increase their resistance to the stress factor. For example, when water is scarce, the stomata in the leaves close up to reduce evaporation.