Plant Disease Look - Alikes Although plants can adapt to many different  environments, they all have certain conditions that they need to grow their best. Factors like air pollution or widely fluctuating temperatures can upset a plant's normal functions, causing symptoms that resemble plant disease. Since such problems aren't transmitted from plant to plant, they are called noninfectious diseases or plant disorders. It's  a good idea to be aware of the symptoms produced by common disorders so you can deal with them effectively when they do occur instead of mistaking them for an infectious disease.