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View crop Data sheet EcoPortStevia rebaudiana
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BRIEF DESCRIPTION A slender, erect herb reaching 60-80 cm in height in natural stands and up to 120 cm under cultivation, with a vigorous rhizome and shallow root system. Leaves oval-elliptic, 3-6.5 x 0.8-1.9 cm. USES A sweetener, mainly stevioside, can be extracted from the dried leaves. It can be used as a herbal remedy for diabetes. The sweetener can also be used to increase the sweetening intensity of other agents like fructose or to lower the caloric value of a sweetener. It is used in pickles, dried seafood, flavorings and confectioneries. GROWING PERIOD Perennial. First harvest may take place 2 months after planting, which is about 6 months after sowing. The following harvests are taken at intervals of 1 months and may continue for a period of about 5 years. COMMON NAMES Stevia, Kaa He'e, Ya wan. FURTHER INF Scientific synonym: Eupatorium rebaudianum. Stevia originates from north-eastern Paraguay and south-eastern Brazil and is now also cultivated in eastern Asia. It occurs naturally in subtropical regions on the edges of marshes or in grassland up to 700 m of elevation. In the tropics it can be grown at altitudes up to 1500 m. Flowering under the critical photoperiod of 12 hours occurs 40-60 days after sowing or cutting. Long days, however, promote leaf production resulting in a higher content of stevioside, on dry-matter basis. In Japan, the yield in the first year is 400-500 kg/ha of dried leaves, while yields in the following years vary between 1.5-2 t/ha of dry leaves. In western Java a yearly production of 3 t/ha of dry leaves is possible. | Sources |
Westphal E 1989 pp 253-255 [USE, DEP, TEMP, PHO, RAIN, DRA, PH, TEXT, FER, SAL, KTMP] Roeckelin J 1987 pp 410 [USE] Duke J 1975 pp 28 [TEMP, RAIN] |