Vol. 12, Special Issue 11 (2023)

Author(s):
Harpreet Kaur, Prince and Dr. Gurshaminder Singh

Abstract:
The term "plant health" is frequently used, however it is not well defined. Human medicine, on the other hand, has a wealth of research on broad definitions of health and health standards. Plant health notions are examined, and a framework is constructed to situate these notions in distinct philosophical conflicts, drawing on ideas from these philosophical conversations. The following topics are specifically addressed: (i) how values differ between a naturalist and a norm activist approach to defining plant health; (ii) positive and negative definitions of plant health; (iii) reductionist and holistic perspectives; (iv) resilience (the plant's ability to withstand stress with or without human intervention) versus functionality; (v) materialist and vitalist approaches; and (vi) biocentric versus anthropocentric perspective. We investigate how these points of view relate to both conventional and unconventional methods of plant protection, and we offer some suggestions for resolving the conflicts between the opposing points of view. While all of these viewpoints contain inherent contradictions, it is argued that by combining opposing approaches, a comprehensive albeit hazy concept can be produced. Rather than providing a new interpretation of plant health, a conceptual framework is developed that suggests potential topics for discussion and how those discussions should be structured. The research was carried out in the Kharar block of Punjab's SAS Nagar district. six villages were chosen at random. To interview the farmers, a set of questions was developed. Following the collection of data from respondents, the data was classified and analyzed using appropriate statistical measures. According to the overall data collected, 98% of respondents grow paddy crop in their fields, while 100% of farmers grow wheat. In addition to these two crops, 46% of farmers grow mustard and 52% grow cauliflower on their farms. Overall, the respondents applied more fertilizer than is recommended. Aside from the main weed, Phalaris minor, 92% of farmers deal with grasshopper insects in the paddy.