A STUDY ON THE CULTIVATION AND ADAPTATION OF Stevia rebaudiana BERTONI PLANT TO ANTALYA CONDITIONS


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Elmasulu S., Çınar A., Bayır Yeğin A., Çınar O.

The 6th International Mediterranean Symposium on Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (MESMAP-6), İzmir, Turkey, 15 - 17 October 2020, pp.107-119

  • Publication Type: Conference Paper / Full Text
  • City: İzmir
  • Country: Turkey
  • Page Numbers: pp.107-119
  • Akdeniz University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

Objectives: Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni (stevia, sweetleaf, sugarleaf) is the homeland of South America, was discovered in 1887 by a South American natural scientist, Antonio Bertoni. S. rebaudiana is member of Asteraceae family which likes moist conditions, temperatures mean 25°C and grows up to 60-90cm high. The plant, detected 79 species in North America is stated to be found more than 200 species in South America. The main components of stevia extract is stevioside, rebaudioside-A and steviol molecules. The stevia plant is known to have been used as a source of sugar by the locals for centuries. Dried form of stevia leaves is 10-15 times sweeter than sugar and the glycoside extract obtained by purification from the stevia plant is 200-300 times sweeter than refined sugar. The existence of some research, showing that non-calorie stevia plant does not increase blood sugar levels, has an effect on increasing insulin sensitivity and even insulin secretion, lend support its use in the treatment of diabetes. With this research, it was aimed to determine the favourable genotype or genotypes and the appropriate sowing frequency by investigating the adaptation of Stevia rebaudiana, Stevia rebaudiana Candy and Stevia rebaudiana Organic genotypes, imported as an introduction material, for Antalya plain conditions. Methods: Compared with the varieties used in the research, Stevia rebaudiana Candy genotype comes to the fore in terms of single plant dry leaf weight and rebaudioside-A/stevioside ratio which is an important quality criterion. While there was no significant difference in rebaudiosideA/stevioside ratios from three different plant densities (30x30cm, 40x40cm and 50x50cm) applied in the experiment, single plant/herb, fresh leaf and dry leaf weights were found high in 50x50cm application. Results: Considering the number of plants in the unit area, the yield per decare is higher with the application of 30x30cm, but as the plant density increases, the risk of fungal disease increases depending on the temperature and humidity. Conclusion: When the features which are examined are taken into consideration; Plant height, number of side branches, single plant dry leaf weight values vary depending on year, application and genotype. The values of single plant fresh herb weight and single plant age leaf weight vary depending on application and year. Rebaudioside-A content varies depending on the genotype, stevioside content and rebaudioside-A/stevioside ratio.