Cultivation Studies of Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni in Turkey

Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni which belongs to the Asteraceae family is a herbaceous perennial plant and native to Paraguay. Stevia leaves produce steviol glycosides (stevioside and rebaudiosides), zero calorie natural sweetener and may substitute sucrose as well as other synthetic sweeteners, being 200 – 300 times sweeter than sucrose. Adaptation studies in Mediterranean climate condition of Antalya in Turkey was started four years ago and, initially seed germination problem was solved using cross-pollination of stevia flowers. The aim of this study was to determine some plant traits such as plant height, plant weight, number of stem per plant, leaf yield, leaf/stem ratio, days for flowering, stevioside and rebaudioside A rates of stevia in the conditions of Antalya. The experiment was carried out in randomized plots design with four replications for two years. Row spacing and intra-row spacing applied were 65 cm and 45 cm, respectively. In the experimental plots, drip irrigation was used and weeding was controlled by using garden tools. No fertilizers were applied to the plots. Plants were harvested at the beginning of the flowering time using pruning shears. According to the results, average plant height was found 98 cm, average number of stem per plant was found 9, average plant weight value was recorded as 720 g, average leaf/stem ratio was 1.03, average green leaf yield per hectare was found 8.6 tonnes, average days for flowering was 160 days, stevioside and rebaudioside A rates was found as 8.2% and 3.5%, respectively. In conclusion, stevia could be cultivated successfully in the conditions of Antalya as a perennial crop.

References:

[1] Yadav, A. K., Singh, S., Dhyani, D., Ahuja, P. S. (2011), Canadian Journal of Plant Science, 91: 1 – 27.