वृक्षायुर्वेद (सुरपाल - प्राचीन भारतीय पादप-विज्ञान, कृषि एवं वृक्ष-चिकित्सा सटीक)

pest management methods—cultural, organo-chemical,
and smoke—were probably used extensively.
The nourishment of different trees as per their mineral
requirements in time and space was another aspect
which was well understood. There are references of the
application of liquid manures of various kinds of animal
origin for the preparation of farm-yard manure, and oil
cakes/plant residues. The subjects of weed control,
water management, ripening of fruits, preservation of
flowers for longer periods of time, and protection of
gardens from animal damage are well described. There
are notable references of spraying of some flowering
shrubs and creepers with wine—apparently to meet iron
deficiency. Similarly the knowledge to control plant
pests by organic formulations seemed to be well
developed.

Ecology and Vrikshayurveda

The place of horticulture in ecology both at the home
garden scale and at the field scale was well understood,
as is evident from references such as in verse 9: A person
is honored in Heaven for as many thousand years as
the days he resides in a house where tulasi (a kind of
flowering shrub) is grown; or in verse 10: And if one
properly grows bilva (a tree), which pleases Lord Siva,
in his family (courtyard), the goddess of riches resides
permanently (in his house) and this (riches) is passed
on to his sons and grandsons. Apparently the place of
trees in environmental maintenance and food chain was
well understood. The saints and philosophers of the time
extolled the people to 'grow more trees'—a slogan that
we seem to have rediscovered during the past few
decades.

Modern agriculture and Vrikshayurveda

It would be naive of me to suggest that all that was
written and compiled on the art and science of arbori-
horticultural aspects of agriculture, a thousand years
ago, can be applied or adapted in modern agriculture;
nor do I pretend that the knowledge base was adequate
to meet today's demands on land for food security. But
a study of the text of Vrikshayurveda gives the scientists
a reference in time—a benchmark—to pinpoint the
source of visionary perceptions shrouded in mystery of
Indian ethos. It is interesting to note that the Indian
knowledge base was deductive and carried with it
inductive logic. Issues like location specificity of
technologies with which modern science of agriculture
is still to grapple with fully, to say the least, was known
to the people in Surapala's times.
There are indeed many hypotheses and sayings
included in Vrikshayurveda that cannot be substantiated
today. Further genuine research for knowledge in the
discovery of these hypotheses consistent with known
facts on a holistic system of world order during different
eras or time-scales need to be constructed. Nonetheless,
Surapala's tome suggests that many theories of our
times were first logically thought of or hypothesized
by the ancient thinkers of India some 1000 years ago.
Finally let me add an epilogue. A study of
Vrikshayurveda leads one to believe that there is no
reason to suggest that any particular innate racial or
national deficiency exists in any region of the world to
develop systems of knowledge. The growth of science
and its advancement has to be nurtured at all times.
Scientific progress is a cumulative effect of advancement
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