Bottle Gourd
Bottle Gourd
English name: Bottle gourd
Scientific name: Lagenaria vulgaris
Local name: ‘Lau’
Taxonomic Position (according to Cronquist)
| Kingdom | :Plantae |
| Division | : Magnoliophyta |
| Class | : Magnoliopsida |
| Sub-class | : Dilleniidae |
| Order | : Violales |
| Family | :Cucurbitaceae |
| Genus | : Lagenaria |
| Species | :vulgaris |
Economic importance: Young and tender fruits are used as vegetable. The ripe hard fruit-shells are used as bottles, pipes, blowing horns and snuff boxes. The shells are also used for making musical instruments. The fruit-pulp is considered emetic, purgative, cooling and diuretic. The seed oil is applied externally in headache.
Table 1. Bottle gourd variety developed by BARI
| Serial Number | Name | Developed by | Year of release | Growing season | Average yield (t ha-1) |
| 1 | BARI Lau-1 | HRC, BARI | 1996 | Throughout the year | 42-45 |
| 2 | BARI Lau-2 | HRC, BARI | 2006 | Throughout the year | 55-60 |
| 3 | BARI Lau-3 | HRC, BARI | 2010 | Throughout the year | 62 |
| 4 | BARI Lau-1 | HRC, BARI | 2010 | Throughout the year | 82 |