Detail:

Keep the seeds of bottle-gourd in water for 24 hours before sowing. Arjanbhai Bhimjibhai Gangadia from the Zinzuda village of the Chotila taluka of the Surendranagar district in Gujarat makes use of water to enhance germination of bottle-gourd. He keeps the seeds of bottle-gourd in water for 24 hours before sowing.

Knowledge Provider / Innovator: Arjanbhai Bhimjibhai Gangadia
Agro-Ecological Zone: North West Zone (GJ-5), North Saurashtra (GJ-6)
Address: Zinzuda, Chotila, Surendranagar
District: Surendranagar
State: Gujarat
PIN Code 363520

Crop: Bottle Gourd
Crop Family: Cucurbitaceae
Crop Scientific Name: (Lagenaria siceraria)
Crop Vernacular Name: Dudhi, Lauki, Kaippan chura
Formulation: The seeds of bottle-gourd and water
Ingredients: Water

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PAS 1:

"Germination of Seeds Under Water - 1. Out of 78 genera of 24 families, 43 genera germinated in water. Even some of the 35 genera which did not germifiate under the conditions of the experiment germinated if fewer seeds were placed in the flask of water. 2. Amongst 43 genera which germinated in the water, 18 genera showed no decided difference between the germination in the water and that on filter paper, and 2 genera germinated better under water than on the paper. 3. The ability to germinate under water obtained more generally for small seeds, and was not related to phylogeny or to the kinds of reserve material in the seeds. 4. Out of 21 kinds of seeds which germinated well in distilled water, 20 kinds germinated in boiled distilled water covered with paraffin oil. 5. Several seeds which did not germinate in water were able to germinate when the water was in contact with pure oxygen instead of with air. 6. White clover (Trifolium repens) seeds germinated as well in water as on filter paper at optimum temperature (15⚬ C), but gave nearly 10 times as large percentage of germination in water as on filter paper at 32⚬ C. and at 38⚬ C. 7. Treatment or removal of seed coats was effective in increasing the germination of white clover seeds on filter paper at 38⚬ C., but better results were obtained in water with the seeds treated in the same way. 8. White clover seeds are able to germinate in boiled water sealed with paraffin oil, but are not able to germinate in a vacuum at the optimum temperature. They germinate better in a sealed air chamber over water than in common Petri dishes at 32⚬. C., and still better germination was observed in 60-percent H2 mixture with air, but 60-percent N2 mixture was not as favorable as air. 9. Sweet clover (Melilotus) seeds germinate equally well in water and on filter paper at high or low temperatures, but they germinate much more quickly in water at high temperature than on the paper. 10. The seeds of red clover (Trifolium pratense) and alfalfa (Medicago sativa) germinate equally well at the optimum temperature in water and on filter paper, but germination is poorer in water than on paper at temperatures higher than the optimum. 11. Celery (Apium graveolens) germinates more slowly in water, but shows no difference between water and filter paper in final percentage of germination. The maximum temperature, however, is higher on filter paper than in water.12. The seeds of water cress (Roripa nasturtium Rusby) germinate better in water than on filter paper when the temperature is higher than the optimum (15⚬ C.). These seeds also have a higher maximum temperature in water."
https://www.jstor.org/stable/2435353

PAS 2:

"Water realations in seed germination" -
https://books.google.co.in/books?hl=en&lr=&id=AHVDtveqlpMC&oi=fnd&pg=PA351&dq=germination+seeds+BY+WATER&ots=hWKguDrh77&sig=j535yRuebc6-pUgQjZstQxZgJBs&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=germination%20seeds%20BY%20WATER&f=false

PAS 3:

"A Water Relations Analysis of Seed Germination Rates - Seed germination culminates in the initiation of embryo growth and the resumption of water uptake after imbibition. Previous applications of cell growth models to describe seed germination have focused on the inhibition of radicle growth rates at reduced water potential (Ψ). An alternative approach is presented, based upon the timing of radicle emergence, to characterize the relationship of seed germination rates to Ψ. Using only three parameters, a `hydrotime constant' and the mean and standard deviation in minimum or base Ψ among seeds in the population, germination time courses can be predicted at any Ψ, or normalized to a common time scale equal to that of seeds germinating in water. The rate of germination of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L. cv Empire) seeds, either intact or with the endosperm envelope cut, increased linearly with embryo turgor. The endosperm presented little physical resistance to radicle growth at the time of radicle emergence, but its presence markedly delayed germination. The length of the lag period after imbibition before radicle emergence is related to the time required for weakening of the endosperm, and not to the generation of additional turgor in the embryo. The rate of endosperm weakening is sensitive to Ψ or turgor."
http://www.plantphysiol.org/content/94/2/840