Agriculture Science in Vedic Period Botany History of Vedic Literature in India – 5
BOTANY History of Indian Subcontinent -19
By:
Bhishma Kukreti M.Sc. {(Botany), B.Sc. (Honours in Botany), Medical Tourism Historian)}
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Once, Trelease stated, “Without Agriculture there would be no Botany. Without Botany agriculture would be little more than empiricism.” (1)
The view of Mira Roy is that the information on agriculture practices on Vedic Literature is sporadic, not in the narrative form (2).
Agriculture embraces two fold activities –
Raising a number of practices
And domestication of animals
Agriculture was main economic source in Vedic Period.
Types of Soil and Land in Vedic Literature
Rig-Veda recognises two types of land ( 3)-
Fertile Land (Apnasvati)
Arid Land (Artand)
Conservation of Soil
After thorough analysis of Vedic literature, Roy found that Vedic Agriculturists were deeply concerned about soil maintenance’s potentiality. And had knowledge of soil conservation concept (4) as Vedic literature discusses about ‘arable’ and ‘fallow’ lands
Reclamation of Land
Rig-Veda describes the burning of land and growth of new vegetation explains that the Vedic agriculturists were aware about reclamation of land for farming and good crops (5).
Manure and Manuring in Vedic Literature
The Vedic society was well aware about replenishment of soil and manuring by animal produces or manure for individual plants (6).
Rig-Veda recommends blood of cows and dungs of cow for restoration of earth (7) and that suggests that Vedic Agriculturists well aware about manure for increasing fertility of land .
The hymn of Traitriya Samhita (V,1.7.3) states that Corn ripens twice a year and that suggests that Vedic people were having preliminary or good knowledge of crop rotation and benefits by rotation of cereals and legumes one after other.
Animal manures were of two types cow stable dung manures and farmyard cow –dung (

and Satpatha Brahmana (II.1.17) suggests the animal excrements is suitable for fertility growth etc.
Green manures
Veda also discusses about benefits or uses of green manures as Atharvaveda (II 8.3.4) recommends the wood of Terminalia Arjuna, husk of barely and blossom of sesame for removing devilment from arable land (9).
Kaushika Sutra (later Vedic Stage) recommends maunuring of barely seeds by honey and clarified butter (10)
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Ecological basis of Crops in Vedic Literature
Vedic Literature describe very sketchy idea about crop characteristics (1)
Plant Protection Measures in Vedic Literature
There are descriptions of plant protection measures in Vedas.
Rig-Veda describes farmer making noise for driving away the birds (11) and Taitriya Samhita describes rotation of crops (natural crop plant protection) (12) .
Birds and Insects
Vedic Literature shows that barring birds, people were not aware of pestiferous agents (13).
The pests were described in Atharvaveda are (13)
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Borer bird or insects
Rodents and rats
Reptiles
Agro-Technology in Vedic Age
Taitriya Samhita and Atharvaveda describes ploughing with the help of sheep and oxen (14)
Taitriya Samhita (V,2.5.4 and V.1.6.4) ) also describes furrow marks and mowing a post plough operation.
Agriculture tools of Vedic Era
Roy offers complete details of following Agricultural tools of Vedic Era (15) –
Forest Clearance tools as axe and axe types of tools
Soil Treatment tools as mower and roller
Cultivation tools as plough (small and Big and having four parts) that was dragged by oxen and sheep.
Harvesting tools were a crooked knife type sickle type, sickle and reaping hook
The sieves and winnowing fans were corn cleaning equipment.
Carts and wagon were used for carrying agricultural produces .
Irrigation for agriculture in Vedic Period
There were two types of irrigation system at the Vedic Period - rain water and river water.
Rig-Veda states (X, 43.7) states rain water lifting by bucket.
Sindhu(Indus) and other rivers as Sarswati were described many times in Vedic literature.
There is description of artificial way of irrigation too that is wooden bucket were used for storing and pouring water from well. (1)
Roy gives the details of metrological observation in relation to crop prospects and details about Vedic literature describing (16) two seasons of rainfall; effects of rainfall on crops and livestock; unfavourable weather for crops;
Thus it is clear that Vedic Period started fast developing agriculture science than its past .
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References
1-Trelease W.M. , 1924 The Relationship of Botany to Agriculture in Science (ed- Cattell M.J.) Vol1,10, Science, Lancashire, August 1924, p-80
2-Roy, Mira, 20019 Agriculture in Vedic Period, Indian Journal of History of Science, 44..4(2009) p 497-520
3-Rig-Veda, 127.6
4-Roy, Mira, 20019 Agriculture in Vedic Period, Indian Journal of History of Science, 44.4 (2009) p 500
5-Rig-Veda, X,142.2-8
6- Roy, Mira, 20019 Agriculture in Vedic Period, Indian Journal of History of Science, 44..4(2009) p 502
7- Nagar B.R., 1963, “Manuring in Ancient India” Bulletin of National Institute of Science of India, No. 24, p 131
8-Atharvaveda, III 14.3,XIX 31.3 and Kaushiksutra XXIV .17.
9-Roy, Mira, 20019 Agriculture in Vedic Period, Indian Journal of History of Science, 44.4(2009) p 502
10-Kaushika Sutra ,XXIV,2
11 Rig-Veda . XX68.1
12- Taitriya Samhita V, 2.5.4
13- Roy, Mira, 20019 Agriculture in Vedic Period, Indian Journal of History of Science, 44..4(2009) p 507
14- Taitriya Samhita V2.5.2
15- Roy, Mira, 20019 Agriculture in Vedic Period, Indian Journal of History of Science, 44..4(2009) p 508
16- Roy, Mira, 20019 Agriculture in Vedic Period, Indian Journal of History of Science, 44..4(2009) p 513, 514, 515
Copyright@ Bhishma Kukreti, bckukreti@gmail.com , Mumbai India, 2019
HISTORY of BOTANY in Indian Subcontinent will be continued in next chapter
Agriculture Science in Vedic Period , History of Botany of Andhra Pradesh India, Asia; Agriculture Science in Vedic Period , History of Botany of Arunachal Pradesh, India, Asia; Agriculture Science in Vedic Period , History of Botany of Assam, India, Asia; Agriculture Science in Vedic Period , History of Botany of Bihar, India, Asia; Agriculture Science in Vedic Period , History of Botany of Chhattisgarh , India, Asia; Agriculture Science in Vedic Period , History of Botany of Goa, India, Asia; Agriculture Science in Vedic Period , History of Botany of Gujarat, India, Asia; Agriculture Science in Vedic Period , History of Botany of Haryana , India, Asia; Agriculture Science in Vedic Period , History of Botany of Himachal Pradesh , India, Asia; ; Agriculture Science in Vedic Period , History of Botany of Jammu Kashmir , India, Asia; Agriculture Science in Vedic Period , History of Botany of Jharkhand ,India, Asia; Agriculture Science in Vedic Period , History of Botany of Karnataka, India, Asia; Agriculture Science in Vedic Period , History of Botany of Kerala, India, Asia; Agriculture Science in Vedic Period , History of Botany of Madhya Pradesh India, Asia; Agriculture Science in Vedic Period , History of Botany of Maharashtra , India, Asia; Agriculture Science in Vedic Period , History of Botany of Manipur, India, Asia; Agriculture Science in Vedic Period , History of Botany of Meghalaya, India, Asia; Agriculture Science in Vedic Period , History of Botany of Mizoram , India, Asia; Agriculture Science in Vedic Period , History of Botany of Nagaland, India, Asia; ; Agriculture Science in Vedic Period , History of Botany of Odisha, India, Asia; Agriculture Science in Vedic Period , History of Botany of Punjab, India, Asia; Agriculture Science in Vedic Period , History of Botany of Rajasthan , India, Asia; Agriculture Science in Vedic Period , History of Botany of Sikkim, India, Asia; Agriculture Science in Vedic Period , History of Botany of Tamil Nadu, India, Asia; Agriculture Science in Vedic Period , History of Botany of Telangana , India, Asia; Agriculture Science in Vedic Period , History of Botany of Tripura , India, Asia; Agriculture Science in Vedic Period , History of Botany of Uttarakhand (U.K.) , India, Asia; Agriculture Science in Vedic Period , History of Botany of Uttar Pradesh , India, Asia; Agriculture Science in Vedic Period , History of Botany of West Bengal ,India, Asia; Agriculture Science in Vedic Period , History of Botany of , Indian subcontinent , Asia; Agriculture Science in Vedic Period , History of Botany of , Myanmar , Indian subcontinent , Asia; Agriculture Science in Vedic Period , History of Botany of , Bangladesh , Indian subcontinent , Asia; Agriculture Science in Vedic Period , History of Botany of Pakistan , Indian subcontinent , Asia; Agriculture Science in Vedic Period , History of Botany of Baluchistan , Indian subcontinent , Asia; Agriculture Science in Vedic Period , History of Botany of Nepal , Indian subcontinent , Asia; Agriculture Science in Vedic Period , History of Botany of Afghanistan, Indian subcontinent , Asia;