Long before the advent of modern meteorological instruments and agricultural forecasting systems, Indian scholars closely observed the natural world, particularly the flowering and fruiting of trees, to understand seasonal rhythms and anticipate agricultural conditions.
An intriguing example appears in the Brhatsamhita, the sixth-century CE encyclopaedic work of Varahamihira. Chapter 29, entitled Kusumalata (on Flowers and Plants), describes how the growth of flowers and fruits was believed to indicate the likely abundance of different crops. According to the text, the flourishing of the banyan tree (nyagrodha) signalled favourable prospects for barley, while the flowering and fruiting of the jambu tree were associated with the abundance of sesame and black gram. Similarly, the growth of the madhuka (mahua) tree was considered an indicator of wheat production. These associations reveal an attempt to interpret agricultural prospects through changes observed in the surrounding vegetation.
In modern environmental science, the study of recurring seasonal events such as flowering, fruiting, and leaf emergence is known as phenology. Scientists today examine these changes to understand plant responses to variations in temperature, rainfall, and climate. Although the predictive associations recorded in ancient texts should not be equated with scientifically validated forecasting methods, they offer valuable evidence of historical environmental observation.