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Research Technology of Stevia

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 Chapter 1
Print ISBN: 978-93-90768-10-3, eBook ISBN: 978-93-90768-11-0

Research Technology of Stevia

Zahida Rashid1, Tanveer Ahmad Ahngar2*, Aijaz Nazir2, Z. A. Dar3,
N. S. Khuroo3, Shabina Majeed4, Sabeena Naseer3, Sabiya Bashir5,
A. Rakshanda6, Sadaf Iqbal2 and Seerat Jan2
DOI: 10.9734/bpi/cras/v6/6662D

ABSTRACT

Nature has bestowed us with great reservoir of sustainable resources beneficial for mankind.
Whatever be the state of resources, it has been seen that nature has provided all these resources as
an answer to this world’s concerns. Out of all these resources, researchers have only been able to
explore a handful as is evident by the fact that there are nearly 2.5 million plants and herbs existing on
earth, out of which only one per cent has been acknowledged through scientific studies to have real
therapeutic value when used in extract form by humans. Virtually all such plants have been
discovered and put to wide spread use in traditional medical systems through information derived
from their use in folk medicine, ethno medicine or traditional medicine.
Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni is a herb that has been used for centuries by the Guarani Indians of
Paraguay both as a sweetener and as a medicine. Stevia has been introduced as a crop in a number
of countries including China, Japan, Brazil, Korea, Mexico, United States, Canada, India and
Indonesia. In India it was first introduced in Banglore by Banglore based Madhuram Agro. Currently
stevia production is centred in China and the major market is in Japan. The largest user is Japan
which began cultivating stevia in hot houses in 1954 providing the researchers a ray of hope that
stevia could be grown in temperate climate also. Research carried out at Institute of Himalayan Bio-
resource Technology (IHBT), Palampur has shown its production potential as an intercrop and have
extensively reported its various properties for commercial cultivation paving a ray of hope for getting
its potential yield under the temperate conditions of Kashmir Valley.

Keywords: Stevia; herb; medicine; sweetener.

1. INTRODUCTION AND IMPORTANCE

Globally there is an increasing interest in the livelihood set-ups. World population is nearing 5 billion
today and with this rate of growth it is likely to touch 7.5 billion by the year 2020. Global estimates
indicate that over 3/4th of the five billion world population cannot afford the products of the western
pharmaceutical industry and have to rely upon the use of traditional medicines, which are mainly
derived from plants. This fact is well compiled by WHO in an inventory of medicinal plants list in over
20,000 species. The WHO 2003 has estimated that 80% of the population of developing countries
being unable to afford pharmaceutical drugs, rely on traditional medicines, mainly based, to sustain
their primary health needs [1,2]. As a part of strategy to reduce the financial burden on developing
countries which spend 40-50% of their total health budget on drugs, WHO, currently encourages,
recommends and promotes the inclusion of herbal drugs in national health care programmes because
such drugs are easily available at a price within the reach of a common man and as such are time
tested and thus considered to be safer than the modern synthetic drugs. The toxicities associated with

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
1
Department of Agronomy, DARS, Rangreth, India.
2
Department of Agronomy, FoA, SKUAST-K, Wadura, India.
3
Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, DARS, Rangreth, India.
4
Department of Pomology, DARS, Rangreth, India.
5
Department of Plant Pathology, DARS, Rangreth, India.
6
Department of Olericulture, FoA, Wadura, India.
*Corresponding author: E-mail: tanveeragron@gmail.com;
 Cutting-edge Research in Agricultural Sciences Vol. 6
Research Technology of Stevia

synthetic medicines, cosmetics and perfumes have been well realised in recent years. Over 60% of all
the pharmaceuticals are plant based. The world market for plant derived chemicals, pharmaceuticals,
fragrances and colour ingredients alone exceeds several billions annually. In south Asian countries,
medicinal and aromatic plants play a significant role in subsistence of rural economy through phyto-
pharmaceutics and cosmetic industries. India in specific has better prospects, beingone of the 12
mega biodiversity centres of the world with 80 per cent of its population as rural based, who have rich
potentials of indigenous skills and having 10% of the world’s biodiversity wealth, which is distributed
across 16 agro-climatic zones. Out of 17,000 species of higher plants reported to occur within India,
7500 are known to have medicinal uses. This proportion of medicinal plants is highest known in any
other country against the existing flora of that country. Currently, approximately 25% of the drugs is
derived from plants and many others are synthetic analogues built on prototype compounds isolated
from plant species in modern pharmacopoeia. With the rising populations, reduced economic levels
and rural based poor population, our country finds inability to afford the high cost of synthetic
medicines. The situation warrants us to adopt herbal- based livelihood, which is cheap, safe and can
be made available in plenty through efforts of adopting skills of cultivation, collection, storage and
processing.

India is in a process of facing one of the deadliest diseases of modern times that is diabetes and is
having highest number of diabetics in the world and one in every five diabetics in the world is Indian,
this is why our country is known as the ‘capital of the diabetes’. The International Diabetes Federation
estimates that the number of diabetic patients in India doubled from 19 million in 1995 to 40.9 million
in 2007. It is projected to increase to 69.9 million by 2025 [3]. The medical fraternity is of the thought
that if at any point in time we may be able to get the rate of diabetic patients abit low but we cannot
escape the fact that we might be at the brink of some other health ailments due to the side effects of
these allopathic medicines. Now the time has come for us to ponder and work for a replacement of
side effects and anti- allopathic medicine for diabetes which would be economic and with positive
effects on the human body. Researchers after hard efforts and serious work have been able to find a
herbal answer to diabetes i.e Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni.

Stevia was discovered by Dr. Moises Santiago Bertoni, the director of the college of Agriculture in
Asuncion, who was exploring the rain forests of Paraguay. He first heard of the herb in late 1880’s
from the Guarani Indian that one small piece of the leaf will keep mouth sweet for an hour. When
Bertoni found the herb he announced the discovery of the ‘new species’ in a botanical journal
published in Asuncion and named the plant ‘Stevia rebaudiana’ after Paraguayan chemist Rebaudi
who subsequently became the first to extract the plant’s constituents. The plant is therefore known as
Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni. The genus was named for Spanish botanist and physician
PetrusJacobusstevus (Pedro Jaime Estave 1500-1556) a Professor of Botany at the University of
Valencia. After this period it remained obscure until it was planted and used in England during the
sugar rationing World War II. The seeds were sentto England in 1942 in an unsuccessful attempt to
establish production. The first commercial cultivation in Paraguay was started in 1964. A large effort
aimed at establishing stevia as a crop in Japan was begun by Sumida [4]. When the Japanese
government banned certain artificial sweeteners due to health concerns in the late sixties, the use of
stevia as a natural alternative increased dramatically. Stevia’s usage has also increased due to health
concerns of Japanese consumers towards sucrose, related to dental caries, obesity and diabetes.
Extracts of stevia had captured 41% by value, of the Japanese high potency sweetener market. The
worldwide demand for high potency sweeteners is expected to increase especially with the practice of
blending different sweeteners; the demand for alternatives is expected to increase. The sweet herb of
Paraguay, Stevia rebaudiana produces in its leaves an alternative with the added advantage that
stevia sweeteners are natural plant products. A general change in the life style is that ‘slim is
beautiful’. However, sugar is invariably associated with fat, so many affluent societies desired to be
slim and diabetic patients have turned to low calorie table top sweeteners such as Saccharin,
Aspartame, Asulfam-K etc. which are aptly called ‘nutritional terrorist’. These are not only expensive
but have bitter after taste. So, in the present sweet toothed society, Stevia which is 200-300 times
sweeter than sugar but without any calories, is likely to become a major source of high potency
sweetener for the growing natural market.

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1.1 Importance of Stevia

Sugar forms an indispensable ingredient in the food habits of human beings. The main source of
sugar has for long been cane sugar, with beet sugar contributing a small percentage. Nearly 60%
centrifugal sugar comes from cane sugar and the rest from sugar beet. Though these sugars have
sweetening qualities, yet they have been found to cause obesity, gallstones, heart trouble and
diabetic diseases. Hence, these sugars are not advised for consumption by diabetic patients. For
these people, the world of sweetness has seen a sweeter change in the recent past with the
introduction of stevia compounds which are about 250 to 300 times sweeter than table sugar. In
addition to being sweetener, Stevia is an outstanding sweet tasting herb that has remarkable health
promoting qualities. Stevia with no calories is considered to be hypoglycaemic, hyposensitive, diuretic
and cardiotonic. There is a great scope to use stevia in food applications instead of sweeteners with
known side effects in the long run. Stevia prevents tooth decay with its microbial property. Majority of
the supplementary food products for diabetic patients emphasize on the fibre and protein content
which the stevia leaves, provide either in the dried or in powder form. Apart from this, stevia is nutrient
rich containing substantial amount of protein, magnesium, Miocene, riboflavin, zinc, chromium,
selenium, calcium, phosphorus, sodium, vitamin A, vitamin C and several phyto-nutrients. Stevia has
been tested thoroughly all over the world and found to be completely non-toxic.

The sweetness of stevia is largely due to stevioside and rebaudioside –A, besides there are six other
sweet compounds that have glucoside groups attached to a three carbon ring central structure.
Leaves of stevia produce diterpene glycosides (Stevioside and rebaudiosides), rebaudioside-A is of
particular interest among the glycosides produced in the leaves of stevia because of the most
desirable favour profile, while stevioside is responsible for the aftertaste bitterness. Development of
new varieties of Stevia rebaudiana with higher content of rebaudioside - A and reduced content of
stevioside is primary aim of plant breeders concerned with the improvement and utilization of this
source of natural sweeteners. Stevioside concentration usually ranges from 3 to 10 per cent of the
leaf dry weight, rebaudioside - A is less concentrated ranging from 1 to 3 per cent. Stevioside could
be equivalent to the sweetening power of 28 tonnes per acre of sucrose sugar.

1.2 Biomedical Importance

As already discussed how stevia is the alternate answer to synthetic sweeteners. Stevia is a herb
which has enormous importance in the world of medicine and food technology. Apart from this stevia
has a varied use in day to day life of every human being. Some of the important uses of stevia could
be grouped in different sections and sub-sections.

1.2.1 Stevia and diabetes

Stevia because of the presence of stevioside does not add sugar to the blood stream as sugar or
even fruits can do. This allows the body to regulate the blood’s sugar level naturally.

As we are well aware of the fact that India is known as the diabetic capital of the world and stevia has
the potential to be the required answer to this fast growing concern of the medical world. India’s
62.2diabetics account for one fourth of the global population of diabetics and the number continues to
increase at an alarming rate and is expected to grow to a staggering 57.2 million by 2025. So, India
needs to seriously consider controlling this phenomenal increase in diabetics. Since diabetes lead to
several health disorders which could be performance reducing, resulting in poor productivity. This
could have a serious implication on the nation’s economy. Stevia could be a herbal answer to such
problems.

The active compounds of stevia are steviol glycosides (mainly stevioside and rebaudioside), which
have upto 250 times the sweetness of sugar are heat stable to 200°C, pH-stable and non-fermentable
making them suitable for use in wide range of products including baked/cooked foods. These
stevioside have a negligible effect on blood glucose, which makes stevia attractive to people on
carbohydrate –controlled diets. It can be used by diabetic patients as it does not produce significant
glycemic effects as no side effect have been observed in these patients after many years of continued

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consumption [5]. Furthermore, studies have shown that stevia actually improves blood sugar levels. It
has been seen that diabetic patients consume large amount of artificial sweeteners. It has been
recommended that they gradually decrease the intake of these sweeteners and replace it with stevia
and after some weeks to months should switch over to stevia. Stevia can be a part of a healthy diet of
anyone with blood sugar problems since it does not raise blood sugar levels. Paraguayans say that
stevia is helpful for hypoglycaemia and diabetes because it nourishes the pancreas and thereby helps
to restore normal pancreatic function. In semi-controlled clinical reports one also encounters this
action. Oviedo et al. observed a 35.2 per cent fall in normal blood sugar level 6-8 hours following the
ingestion of stevia leaf extract. Similar trends have been observed in humans and experimental
animals by other workers. Studies and researches show that stevia may stabilize blood sugar,
increase insulin resistance, may even promote insulin production by promoting the pancreatic health
and discourage glucose absorption in the blood. Moreover, steviol glycosides are not metabolized by
the body and are excreted in the urine without getting accumulated in the body.

1.2.2 Stevia in processed food

As sweetener in diet, use in bakery, confectionary, soft drinks, and beverage sector. Stevia is an herb
which when processed and extracted has been proven to have great importance in processed foods,
in bakery, confectionary, soft drinks, and beverage sector. Stevia extract has low calories, reduces
saltiness as it softens the harsh impact of salty foods. It also has a balancing effect on sourness. The
difference in the properties of stevia and sugar is that sugar reacts with amino acids but stevia does
not react with them. After extensive research it has been concluded that the structure of stevia is
highly stable under heat, acids, alkalis, at cooking temperature and a pH between 2.5 to 9.0 does not
affect it. And more importantly it is non-fermenting so processed food industry can use stevia in a
variety of products as Japanese style pickles, dried seafood, fish meat products, Beatrice, food
yogurts, diet coke and Wrigley’s gums.

Stevia extract could be used in bakery products as 50gm of stevia leaf can easily replace 1000gms of
table sugar. The sweetness of stevia is attributed to the presence of stevioside which is non-
fermenting and does not display browning when cooked. Bakery made with stevia as an ingredient is
found to be of great benefit to the patients suffering from diabetes.

Stevia possesses great anti-microbial property and is found to be very effective against tooth decay
and if used in chocolates or those sweets of which children are fond of could be of enormous benefit.
Stevia can also be used in all kinds of eatables for people who are diabetic or are health conscious
i.e. low carbohydrate in takers.

Stevia as already discussed is 10-15 times and extract is 250-300 times sweeter than that of sugar. A
mere piece of the leaf is enough to sweeten the mouth for an hour, so stevia can be used in chewing
gums, mints, and mouth fresheners.

The soft drink manufactures have introduced several health drinks and many food supplementary
beverages and the addition of stevia in these would not only increase the sweetness but will also help
to rejuvenate the pancreatic glands and will also increase the quantity of protein, calcium and
phosphorus in these supplements. Stevia leaves can also be made available in tea bags and could be
used by health conscious and diabetic patients.

1.2.3 Stevia as remedy for Blood Pressure

The sweet compounds pass through the digestive process without chemically breaking down, making
stevia safe for diabetic and obese people. Recently, stevia attained a better awareness owing to its
superior sweetness and the curative values for restraining the accretion of fat and lowering blood
pressure in human [6]. It has already been found that stevia normalizes blood sugar levels and hence
promotes consistent energy flow, unlike sugar, which causes a rapid peak in blood sugar followed by
a crash and then followed by a craving for more sugar. It is very interesting to know that stevia does
not affect normal blood pressure and normal blood sugar levels. After extensive research conducted

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by Madan et al. [7] they reported that stevioside has also shown dual positive effect by acting as anti-
hypoglycaemic and a blood pressure lowering substance.

1.2.4 Anti-oxidant

Dried stevia leaf contains many vitamins and trace elements such as selenium, cobalt, chromium etc;
we all know that these elements are potent antioxidants. The extract from the leaves of Stevia
rebaudiana promotes effect on various physiological systems such as cardiovascular and renal
systems and influences hypertension and hyperglycaemia. Since, these activities may be correlated
with the presence of antioxidant compounds.

1.2.5 Stevia in household uses

As far as household use of stevia is concerned its importance increases many a fold in the Indian
society as Indian cuisine is famous for its sweets and desserts. Let any be the occasion or any
religious celebration it cannot be complete without sweets, this has led to increase in the blood sugar
levels and has let India be known as the diabetic capital of the world. So stevia has an added
importance in the Indian household. Stevia leaves or its powder can be used without extensive
processing in most of the typical Indian dishes like kesari, sauces, jams, juices, pickles, tea, coffee
and herbal tea. Fresh juice preparation could be made healthier if stevia is added to it. It will make the
fresh juice 100% fresh and natural. Finely ground stevia can be sprinkled lightly over cooked
vegetables, meat, cereals, and salads besides adding its own sweet taste it will significantly enhance
the flavor and nutritional value of the food.

1.2.6 Importance of stevia in Medicines

As already discussed stevia possesses anti-fungal and anti-bacterial property it can easily and safely
be used in herbal medicines, tonics for diabetic patients, tooth pastes and mouth washes. Mild stevia
leaf tea offers relief for an upset stomach.

Stevia is also found to be helpful in weight loss and blood pressure management. It also lowers
incidence of flu and colds. Stevia specifically lowers blood sugar levels, aids digestion, and stimulates
appetite. Stevia’s sweet compounds pass through the digestive processes without chemically
breaking down making stevia safe for those who need to control their blood sugar levels.

1.2.7 Importance of stevia in Carbohydrate Metabolism

Stevioside present in stevia has been found to affect hepatic glycogen synthesis. This is the reason
that stevia increases glucose tolerance and significantly decreases plasma glucose levels.

1.2.8 Importance of stevia against Tooth Decay

As we already know that stevia is non-fermenting and possesses great anti-microbial property,
researches have indicated that stevia may reduce cavities by slowing the growth of plaque in the
mouth. So it has been seen that stevia is very effective against tooth decay and if used in chocolates
or those sweets of which children are fond of could be of enormous benefit. Stevia inhibits candiasis,
a yeast infection that flourish with sugar, because of no sugar and will not feed yeast so is safe for
people dealing with candida.

1.2.9 Importance of stevia in Skin Care

Stevia has been found to have great importance with respect to skin care. Stevia has great healing
strength, if placed on a cut or scratch significantly reduces pain and speeds up healing without leaving
a scar. It has been a great discovery for the skin related problems as it has a wide usage against
acne, seborrhea, eczema, dermatitis and has been a potent remedy against blemishes. It is also seen
as an agent to change skin texture. Wet stevia bag provides cooling effect on eyes; it is effective in
tightening the skin and is good for wrinkles also.

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1.2.10 Importance of stevia against weight loss

As we know that stevia does not contain sugar, has no calories and has been shown to reduce the
craving for sweets and fatty acids. It has also been seen that the use of stevia enriched tea bags
reduces the desire for tobacco and alcoholic beverages. So by curbing the hunger sensation it helps
in weight loss.

2. BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni is one of the 950 genera of the Asteracea family and one of the 154
members of the genus stevia. It is a herbaceous perennial plant with an extensive root system and
brittle stems producing small, elliptical leaves native to the valley of Rio Monday in high lands of
Paraguay.

Kingdom : Angiospermae
Class : Dicotyledons
Group : Monochlamydae
Order : Asterales
Family : Asteraceae
Subfamily : Asteriodeae
Tribe : Eupatoricae
Genus : Stevia
Species : rebaudiana

Since leaves are the principal sweet bearing parts of the plant, the proportion of leaf to whole plant,
the leaf weight ratio is important. High ratios of leaf : stem are desirable in cultivated Stevia because
of the low stevioside concentrations (< 5 mg g-1) in stem tissue.

Growth stages: The growth stages of Stevia rebaudiana can be divided into four stages: germination,
grand growth period, flowering and seed maturity. The first stage includes germination and
establishment, the second vegetative growth, the third floral bud initiation to pollination and fertilisation
and the fourth seed growth and filling.

Seeds: The seed of stevia is an achene (small) have very little endosperm dispersed in the wind via
feathery (hairy) pappus. Clear seeds are considered to be infertile whereas dark coloured are
considered as fertile seeds.

Root System: The root is fibrous, filliform and perennial, forming abundant stock that is hardly
ramified and does not deepen, distributing itself to the land surface. The fine roots congregate around
the soil surface and thicker root in the deepest zones. The root system is the only part devoid of
stevioside.

Stem: The stem is annual, subligeneous, more or less pubescent and more or less graft. The stem
portion has negligible stevioside concentration.

Leaves: Leaf is the economic part and the first photosynthetic organ formed after germination from
the two cotyledons in the seed. The leaves of stevia are sessile, lanceolate to oblanceolate, serrated
above the middle having an alternate leaf arrangement and herbaceous growth habit. Trichome
structures on the leaf surface are of two distinct sizes, one large and one small.

Flowers: The flowers are small (7-15 mm), white and arranged in an irregular cyme in indeterminate
heads. The stevia is self- incompatible and probably insect pollinated. Pollen can be highly allergic.
The reproductive anatomy of the male and female gametophytes is typical for angiosperms. The
flowers are hermaphrodite having both male and female organs.

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3. BIO-CHEMICAL COMPOSITION

The biochemical composition of stevia is dependent on environmental conditions and plant cultivation
techniques. Stevia is getting the market place and emerged as synthetic/artificial sweetener replacer
that do not provide the pragmatic taste of sugar with bitter after taste as well. The sweetness in the
stevia is due to the presence of diterpene glycosides which are 250-300 times as sweet as cane
sugar. Plant organs containing different amounts of the sweet glycoside, stevioside, which declined in
the following order; leaves, flowers, stems and seeds. Stevia leaves produce atleast eight different
glycosides namely stevioside (3 – 10%), rebaudioside A (1 – 3%), and rebaudioside B, rebaudioside
C, rebaudioside D, rebaudioside E, dulcoside, steviolbioside are present in small quantities. The
sweetening potency of above mentioned glycosides is 250-300, 350-450, 300-350, 50-120, 200-300,
50-120 and 100-125,* respectively. Among these eight glycosides, stevioside and rebaudioside A are
the most important glycosides which are responsible for making stevia a herbal answer to diabetes.
Apart from this, stevia is nutrient rich, containing substantial amount of protein, magnesium, myocene,
riboflavin, zinc, chromium, selenium, phosphorus, sodium, vitamin A, vitamin C and over hundred
phytonutrients. The sweetness of stevia is largely due to its complex stevioside molecule that is
composed of glucose, sophorose and steviol.

Proximate chemical composition is a key factor for assessing the quality of raw material. It helps to
formulate a quality stable product. Chemical composition of stevia leaves powder (dry weight basis) is
as follows.

Table 1. Chemical composition of stevia leaves powder

S. No. Parameter Stevia leaves powder

1 Moisture 3.95±0.21
2 Ash 8.75±0.35
3 Crude Protein 10.64±0.03
4 Crude fat 5.47±0.06
5 Crude fibre 7.6
6 NFE/Carbohydrate 63.59

Table 2. Mineral profile of stevia leaves powder

S. No. Minerals Value (mg/100 g)

1 Na 29.4±0.12
2 K 2195.3±0.88
3 P 372.1±16.74
4 Mg 286.2±0.06
5 Fe 24.29±0.04
6 Zn 1.423±0.04
7 Mn 10.24±0.06
8 Cu 0.85±0.02
9 Ni 1.26±0.02
10 Co 0.035±0.02

4. AGROTECHNIQUES FOR HIGHER PRODUCTION

Climate: In India stevia can be successfully cultivated throughout the year. It can also grow under
varied temperature conditions ranging from -6 to 43°C with a precipitation of 1500-1800 mm. It
requires plenty of sun shine for vegetative growth as the vegetative growth is increased by long day
length and flowering induced at short day lengths of less than 12 hours. Stevia is a short day plant. It
prefers a warm sunny climate. During the growing season, it thrives in a temperature range of 15 to
35°C provided all input resources and good management practices are incorporated. Cultivation
practices similar to that of other transplanted crops are required for stevia.

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Soil: It is advisable to test soil for its quality parameters before planting of stevia. Stevia requires very
well drained soils with reasonable water holding capacity. Soils with poor drainage are unsuitable.
Stevia grows well on a variety of soil types ranging from coarse textured to well drained loams also
thrives on red and sandy loam soils. The plants do best in a rich, loamy soil. Since the feeder roots
tend to be quite near the surface, it is important to add compost for extra nutrients if the soil is sandy.
The soil should be in the pH range of 6.0 – 7.5 Saline soils should be avoided.

Nursery raising: Nursery raising through seeds should be done in the month of February-March.
Germination of seeds takes place within 10-15 days. Seeds can be sown in plastic tryas, pots,
wooden boxes or in raised nursery beds of size 1.25 m x 10 m x 10 m having a good mixture of sand,
soil and organic manure. Nursery should be irrigated with sprinkler daily in the morning and evening
for first ten days and twice a week till the seedlings are ready for transplanting.

Saplings can also be raised vegetatively using terminal cuttings of 10-15 cm height within 4-6 nodes.
Stem cuttings should be taken from actively growing plants during the months of mild weather
avoiding extreme cold or hot months. Lower leaves are trimmed to facilitate planting. Cuttings are
raised in pots or poly sleeves. In nursery beds the cuttings are planted at 15 x 15 cm spacing.
Keeping one node inside the soil. Cutting raised under partial shade and under high humidity
develops roots at faster rate within 8-10 days. Irrigation is given daily till the seeds are germinated and
after germination irrigation is as and when required. Spraying of Bavistin (0.1%) and Thiodan (0.25%)
is done to keep the plants free from diseases and insect pest.

Seed germination: Stevia is self-incompatible so the seed germination is a problem in stevia.

Artificial cross pollination in required for setting of seeds. The seeds loses viability at room
0
temperature so the seeds should be kept in refrigerator at 4 c. The best suitable temperature for
germination is 25°C. So in temperate regions of Kashmir valley the seeds should be sown in green
houses in January. Seeds collected just after harvesting of the crop should be kept in refrigerator at
40c for several months as the seeds loses viability.

Land preparation: The land should be ploughed initially with a disc plough to break down the clods.
Ploughing should be done twice followed by harrowing. Fine tilth is required.

Transplanting: Two month old seedlings of stevia are transplanted in the field. The optimal time of
planting is primarily decided by the climatic conditions which have great impact on the crop stand and
establishment. Stevia should be transplanted in early spring as it is not advisable to cultivate stevia in
summer because summer has dry weather and poor soil moisture conditions which hinders the crop
establishment. Autumn is not suitable for cultivation because of poor temperature and less period for
plant development as the sunshine hours keep on decreasing accompanied with absence of optimal
temperature levels.

Propagation: Stevia is propagated through seeds, stem cuttings and by tissue culture. Seed
germination in stevia is very poor as the crop is self-incompatible, it should be propagated through
stem cuttings and by tissue culture. Cuttings from top part of the main stem with four internodes
should be selected for transplanting and pre-treatment with growth regulators (paclobuterazol at 50 or
100ppm) is found to be effective in inducing roots and sprout from stem cuttings. For tissue culture
various parts of the plant can be used successfully viz; leaves, auxillary shoots, root-neck sprouts,
shoot primordial; and internodal explants.

Spacing: Crop density is a parameter decided by the crop spread above the ground so as to interfere
with the development t of the adjoining plants. However, one should also consider the root spread.
Keeping this thing in mind, it has been observed that a spacing of 45-60 cm row to row and 15-30 cm
plant to plant is most optimum for better foliage yield.

Methods of planting: Stevia can be transplanted on ridge and furrows on flat beds. The crop can
grow vigorously under ridge and furrow method of planting as it provides the congenial environment
for the root growth and development and facilitates the intercultural operations within the crop.

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Fertilizer requirement: Like all other leafy vegetables, stevia is fertilised through organic manures
considering its moderate nutrient requirements. Since stevia roots tend to be near the soil surface,
application of well rotted FYM@25-30t/ha at the time of field preparation is sufficient to grow a
successful crop as it releases the nutrients slowly. A basal dose of 40 kg N/ha, 30 kg P2O5/ha and 30
kg K2O /ha is recommended. Half dose of N and full dose of phosphorus and potash should be
applied as basal and remaining half of the nitrogen should be applied at 45 DAT.

Irrigation: Before applying water for irrigating the crop, it should be tested as the crop has poor
tolerance to pH. It should not be grown with poor quality water. Supplementary irrigation is generally
assumed to be essential to avoid any water stress in plants unless the growing region has reliable
rainfall throughout most of the year. Stevia can not tolerate drought, therefore frequent irrigation is
required to maintain the soil moisture above plant wilting point, which is suggested to be as high as 80
per cent of field capacity. Micro-irrigation is the best method of irrigating the crop.

Weed Management: Being slow to establish, seedlings are very susceptible to weed competition until
well established. Weeds are the principal competitors in limiting crop establishment and ultimately the
yield, Furthermore, weeds make harvesting very difficult and increase seed build up in the soil, slow
initial growth rate accelerates the weed competition. Although no herbicide is available at present to
support the stevia crop fight against weeds. However, Trifluralin appears as an exception which is well
tolerated by stevia. Manual practices is the best possible management option against weeds.

Insect: Insect do not appear to be a problem. Stevia has shown clear aphid resistance. The sweet
taste being a possible deterant to insects.

Termites: Stevia plant roots are very sensitive to termites. Chloropyriphos @5 litre/ha should be
applied with irrigation to minimise the damage.

Diseases: Diseases do not appear to be the major problem. Though, two fungal diseases, Septoria
steviae and sclerotinia sclerotorium appear sometimes. Septoria disease causes considerable
damage to the over matured crop. It is characterised by depressed, angular, shiny, olive grey lesions,
sometimes surrounded by a chlorotic halo that rapidly coalesce. This disease can be controlled by
systemic fungicide that should be sprayed as soon as the disease is noticed. Sclerotinia disease is
characterised by brown lesions on the stem near the soil line, followed by wilting and eventually by the
complete collapse of affected individuals. Neem oil diluted in water should be sprayed if disease
symptom are noticed.

Harvesting: Harvesting is done m annually leaving 10-15 cm stem height above ground level. The
optimum time for harvesting the crop depends upon the growing season. First harvest is taken 75-90
days after transplanting of the crop i.e. in the month of June-July. Subsqeuent second harvest is taken
after 60-75 days after the first harvest i.e in the early September at the time of flower bud initiation. In
case of late transplanting crop grown for single cut, harvesting is done after 3-4 months of
transplanting and continues till flowering commences as the maximum sweetener is in the leaves till
the plant flowers. Perennial plants may continue upto four years, once planted in the same field.
Maximum quantity of leaves are produced from second year. Flowering of the plant should be avoided
and at no point of time plants should be allowed to flower, since after flowering stevioside dissipates
from the leaves rendering them unmarketable. Pinching of the apical bud should be done nto enhance
growth of the plant with side branches. In temperate regions the crop may be harvested before or at
the onset of winter.

Drying: The harvested branches are dried inshade and dried leaves are stripped off from the
branches. If cut plant parts are not dried quickly, the quality of the leaf will be deteriorated by the
process of oxidation, losing upto 1/3rd of stevioside content.The dried leaves are powdered, sieved
and the fine powder is stored in containers. Only the leaf material is dried by utilising drying wagon or
kiln, depending on the weather conditions and density of loading. It generally takes 24 to 48 hours to
dry stevia at 40 to 50°C. Drying of stem is just a wastage as it contains a negligible percentage of
glycosides.

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Processing: Dried leaves are first extracted with petroleum ether and then with hot methanol and this
methanolic solution is concentrated to dryness. A suspension of the residue is dissolved in water and
washed with ethanol and then extracted with n-Butanol. The Butanol layer is evaporated to dryness by
distillation under vacccum and the residue is recrystallised with methanol affording sweet diterpene
glycosided as greenish needles. The mother liquor is evaporated to dryness and the residue is
chromatographed on silica gel. Solevent used were Chloroform: methanol: water (5:10:2). Detection
of spots are done by spraying concentrated sulphuric acid.

5. CONCLUSION

It is concluded that Palampur has shown its production potential as an intercrop and have extensively
reported its various properties for commercial cultivation paving a ray of hope for getting its potential
yield under the temperate conditions of Kashmir Valley.

COMPETING INTERESTS

Authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

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5. Suttajit M, Vinitketkaumnuen U, Meevatee U, Buddhasukh D. Mutagenicity and human
chromosomal effect of stevioside, a sweetener from Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni. Environmental
Health Perspectives. 1993;101(Suppl 3):53-56.
6. Chalapathi MV, Thimmegowda S, Sridhara S, Ramakrishna Parama VR, Prasad TG. Natural
non-calorie sweetener stevia (Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni)-A future crop of India. CROP
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APPENDIX

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Biography of author(s)

Dr. Zahida Rashid

Department of Agronomy, DARS, Rangreth, India.

Research and Academic Experience: • 11 years as Assistant Professor, senior scale,

• Crop production

Research Area: Agronomy.

Number of Published papers: 35 papers

Special Award (If any): Best presentation award at international conference, best article awards.

Tanveer Ahmad Ahngar

Department of Agronomy, FoA, SKUAST-K, Wadura, India.

Research and Academic Experience: Researched on baby corn (Speciality Maize) during his masters at SKUAST-K.

Research Area: Agronomy.

Number of Publications: 7.
_________________________________________________________________________________
© Copyright (2021): Author(s). The licensee is the publisher (Book Publisher International).

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