History of Technology in India, Vol. I: From Antiquity to c. 1200 A.D. v1.c24.s4.6

v1.c24.s4.6

For the protection of crops from diseases and pests people resorted to measures which were a strange amalgam of superstitious rites and practical application. The subject was covered by the science of *vṛkṣāyurveda* or medicinal science for plants. The use of the term *āyurveda* led to the application of certain principles characteristic of the science of *āyurveda* to that of *vṛkṣāyurveda*. One such principle is that of *tridoṣa*, the three humours, whose disorder leads to various ailments. In the case of plants also the disorders of wind (*vāta*), bile (*pitta*) and phlegm (*kapha*) are taken to result in various defects of plants.