Investigating Stevia Germplasm as Alternative Highly Profitable Crop for Farmers

Stevia (Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni) is a perennial plant native to Paraguay. Its leaves are up to 300 times sweeter than sucrose. It is safe for diabetics and is helpful in weight and blood pressure management. As an alternative crop, stevia has a lot of potential. There is a lack of information on high yielding stevia germplasm as well as field trial for higher biomass production. Low seed germination is another problem with stevia. At the Fort Valley State University, Fort Valley, Georgia, we have been working to develop technology and innovative horticultural practices for profitable production of stevia. Our aim is to increase percentage of seed germination, selecting stevia cultivar with higher contents of sweet agents (Rebaudioside A) using high performance liquid chromatography and to develop ecofriendly best management practices for higher biomass production in order to meet an increasing industry demand. Sweet Green Fields Inc. (a pioneer company working on stevia in the US) has been supplying planting materials and seeds for this research. During this investigation we have carried out seed germination trial and have increased seed germination from 40 to 80%. We have also conducted field trials for high biomass production during August-November, 2013. We have been educating ourselves to grow stevia, about the time requirement, diseases and problems associated with stevia growing in middle Georgia’s weather and soil conditions. We have also been studying the effect of planting density on biomass production. We prepared 210 ft long, 3 ft wide and 1 ft high raised beds and there was 3 ft gap in between two beds. All beds have been covered with 20-year weed barrier ground cover to minimize the cost of cleaning. Roundup was applied to the center of each bed for weed control. It was applied with a paint brush roller to eliminate drift from wind onto the stevia plant. Stevia plants have been planted using six different planting densities. In each bed, two or three rows of plants were planted. In each row plant spacing was maintained at 6”, 9” or 18” density. Plants were planted in 2013 in the second week of September and by the end of October (after 5-6 weeks) flowering buds appeared in each plant. Stevia plant was harvested after 8 weeks of planting that was November 14, 2013, before the frost (21 ⁰F) hit Fort Valley, Ga. We measured the average plant biomass production. Results will be presented.