I'm out here willing to take the hits challenging a fable. You take a chance on nothing, and offered nothing new

ok, fair enough.
I accept your challenge Sir, and offer this from my brief search of the internet.

Ohio State University Extension brief on planting by the lunar phases
an excerpt-
"Dr. Frank Brown of Northwestern University performed research over a ten year period. His findings were plants absorbed more water at the time of the Full Moon. He conducted his experiments in a laboratory without direct contact with the moon, yet he still found that the plants were influenced by the phase."

I admit this is about a growing plant, not a seed, yet references a study in the relationship of lunar phases as directly related to plants activities.

the majority of research I found available online directly referencing Dr. Brown's work is primarily focused on lunar effects on oysters. One of his many studies.

I would wonder if O.S.U. is willing to reference this Professor's work in a publication, if it were a bunch of voodoo?

There is also some study info online about New Zealand Iwi tribes who farm by a lunar calendar for 100's of years.

I also found this-
(from The Lunar Garden: Planting by the Moon Phases by E. A. Crawford)
an excerpt-
"Why the Moon Phase System Works

The time at which a seed is sown is the beginning of its life cycle. Final plant yield, as every gardener knows, is crucially affected by the conditions encountered by the seed....

The person most responsible for formal experimentation in this area is Maria Thun, whose research on her farm in Darmstadt, Germany, has been financially supported by a group of biodynamic farmers.

In 1952, Thun developed a method of sowing a fixed number of crop rows over a sidereal month. The term sidereal refers to the position of the moon in relationship to the stars or constellations in the sky behind it. In other words, Maria Thun sowed according to varying phases of the lunar cycle. Once the crop came to maturity, it was weighed and studied, and the results were recorded. Thun's findings were accumulated over a ten-year period from 1952 to 1962. The crop Thun chose to study initially was potatoes; subsequently she studied not only other root crops but also leaf crops, fruit-bearers and flowers.

Thun's results were surprising. She discovered that if potatoes were planted when the moon was in the constellations of Taurus, Capricorn or Virgo (traditionally termed "root days"), the crop was more prolific than if she planted when the moon was positioned in other constellations of the zodiac belt. After some thought, she concluded that potatoes did better if planted while the moon was clearly positioned in earth signs than at any other time. Potato crops planted when the moon was positioned in the constellations Cancer, Scorpio or Pisces--the water signs of the zodiac--did poorly.

The results of Thun's studies fascinated another experimenter in Germany. Graf repeated her method from 1973 to 1975, this time using many different types of soils, and planting radishes as well as potatoes. Graf discovered that sowing on root days affected positively the growth and production of crops, and got best result when using chemically untreated, organic soils.

In 1976, Kollerstrom and Muntz, Sussex market gardeners, repeated the experiments of Graf and Thun and gained a 45% increase in yield for crops sown on root days. Conducted over a period of two months, their study did not show that the phase of the moon, waxing or waning, made as much difference as the moon's placement in the sky at the time of sowing.

The effect of the phases of the moon on seed germination and growth was first studied by L. Kolisko in 1930. Using wheat, Kolisko found that seeds germinated faster and more prolifically when sown at the full moon. The new moon gave him the most unsuccessful results. Later experiments on cress confirmed Kolisko's findings. Recent studies at Northwestern University, conducted by Professor F. Brown, have shown that, even under equal temperatures, seedlings absorb more water at the full moon than at the new moon. The findings lend credibility to adages that recommend harvesting at full moon. It seems plants have less water content at the new moon phase. Professor Brown went so far as to test plants in a darkened laboratory where they would have no direct access to effects of sun or moon. The plants still responded to the moon phases.

Other experiments have been conducted at Wichita State University and at Tulane University. All have achieved the same results. Experimentation indicates that seeds sown just before or around the full moon have a higher rate and speed of germination than those sown at the new moon because seeds are able to absorb more water at the full moon...."

Planting By the Moon , Bibliography, with too many references to list here.

I found these in a couple hrs, without a super-computer. maybe you didn't use the best search terms?

Do these sound like references to fable and folklore?
Multiple studies going back to 1930, conducted by private individuals, public organizations, and universities.


I, sir, will also come out swinging if challenged
I really hope you don't make me mail away and request all the statistical data,,,ok, that was sarcastic. wanna call it a draw?:jointsmile:
Rock.Steady Reviewed by Rock.Steady on . Gardening by The Moon- a discussion of the technique Hey, don't know if anybody but me believes in this...... The moon will be in Cancer on Nov.15th @2:52 pm EST until Monday Nov 17 until 4:06 pm EST. This is a good time to germinate seeds if anyone needs help germinating. The moon will be in the 3rd quarter which helps develop roots.....Best to not plant right near times given, as that is the time sign is changing. Hope this helps, if so let me know, as I am interested. Rating: 5