Soil & Propagation

Stevia grows well in sandy loam soils with an ample supply of water. stevia prefers acidic to neutral soil with a PH range of 6.5-7.5 for its best growth. Saline soils should be avoided as stevia plant is susceptible to water logged conditions.

Propagation

Stevia plants can be propagated from cuttings or seeds or by tissue culture. As the seed germination is very poor and seedlings are very slow to establish, it is generally propagated clonally through cuttings. For vegetative propagation, stem cuttings of 15 cm length taken from leaf axils of the current year’s growth have been given better results. Treatment with Paclobutrazol @ 100ppm has been found to induce the root initiation in short time and IBA@500 ppm is also found to be effective. The best months for propagation are February-March. The cuttings will be ready for transplanting after 25-30 days of rooting.

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STEVIA NURSERY CULTIVATION

During May or June month land should be deep ploughed  and get freely open so that  harmful soil born insects and other  undesired  substances will be destroyed.

As per requirement 10* 3*1 ½  ft  bed should be prepared.  Properly mix  50 Kg/bed organic compost .
In the mean time waste things should be cleaned from bed. After that according to rows seeds are put on the beds . After that seeds are covered  by  ½ cm thick layer of brawn  of rice and wheat. now prepared beds are ready to produce stevia plant.

Precautions :

Bed should be prepared under shadow area.
The  bed preparation area should be well drained .
Bed soil should be insect free.
Use appropriate insecticide , bactericide, fungicide  to protect stevia from insect or dieses.
Bird net should be used to protect bed from the birds.

IRRIGATION :

Maintain moisture according to weather  on the stevia bed .
Be careful  ample supply of water invite insect dieses. So irrigate once in a day in winter and 3 or 4 times in a day in summer.
Bed height  should be 1 to 1 ½  feet above  from  surrounding land.
Keep 2 to 3 feet distance between 2 beds so that intercultural practices should be one properly.

After  5-6 days stevia plants get started grow.
Conteneous irrigation should be done as per requirement.
After 5 to 6 week stevia plants are ready for transplantation. Carefully take out plants and put them on  cold and well moisture place.
As much as possible transplant the plants on main land.


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PLANT AGRONOMY

Management of Stevia cultivation is yet to mature in many regions and cultivators are
still on a learning curve. While tolerant of most soil types, Stevia is normally grown on
a sandy loam or loam. Stevia occurs naturally on soils of pH 4 to 5, but thrives with soil
pH as high as 7.5. However, Stevia does not tolerate saline soils. Normally there is no
pest or disease incidence reported in this crop. Harvesting starts after 3rd-4th month of
plantation.

In India, Stevia cultivation is also looked upon as an opportunity to revitalise rural economies and tax incentives are being offered to take up cultivation. Bioved Research and Communication Centre (BRCC), UP, a centre which coordinates Stevia cultivation in the Northern State of Uttar Pradesh has reported that Indian climatic conditions suits Stevia cultivation due to ideal temperature conditions and the humidity ranging from 65-85 %. Scientific cultivation and careful selection of planting material can yield better returns in shorter times as compared to traditional crops according to Indian Stevia cultivators.Cultivation of stevia opens up new vistas for crop diversification and a viable
alternative to sugar cane in view of escalating cost of production due to extensive usage of chemical fertilizers, pesticides and irrigation requirements of sugarcane. Cultivation of stevia may be useful in the protection of environment, restoration of the health of soil, and revitalize the rural economy.



SAFETY ISSUES 
Since the 70’s, Stevia has been used in Japan as the main alternative to sugar instead
of the banned aspartame in diet soda, gum and other food and beverages. Stevia is
also used as a sweetener in other countries after extensive studies proved its safety.
Stevia has been used with success to treat many ailments including diabetes, high blood pressure, gingivitis, digestion ailments, and addictions, topically for acne and other skin ailments and also as a wonderful weight loss aid. Stevia provides several advantages over sugar and artificial sweeteners when used in food production, lower costs for transportation, storage/warehousing and handling charges:
In 2006, the World Health Organization evaluated Stevia and found no evidence of carcinogenicty in Stevioside and Rebaudioside A. It also reported that Stevioside
led to beneficial effects in patients with hypertension or with type-2 diabetes. The report concluded that further study was needed to determine proper dosage. 

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IMPORTANT OF PLASTIC MULCH IN STEVIA CULTIVATION.

Mulching is a Agricultural practices to cover the soil with plastic or straw/wheat dust on the top of the
soil therefore, to control weed, excessive water evaporation & conserve soil moisture. Both organic &
in organic mulching have great benefit for stevia crop productivity.

Advantages of plastic mulching 

1. It is completely impermeable to water.

2. It prevents the direct evaporation of moisture from the soil and thus limits the water losses and conserves moisture.

3. By evaporation suppression, it prevents the rise of water containing salts.

4. Mulch can facilitate fertilizer placement and reduce the loss of plant nutrient through leaching.

5. Mulches can also provide a barrier to soil pathogens

6. Opaque mulches prevent germination of annual weeds from receiving light

7. Reflective mulches will repel certain insects

8. Mulches maintain a warm temperature even during nighttime which enables seeds to germinate quickly and for young plants to rapidly establish a strong root growth system.

9.Synthetic mulches play a major role in soil solarisation process.

10.Mulches develop a microclimatic underside of the sheet, which is higher in carbon-di-oxide due to the higher level of microbial activity.

11.Under mulch, the soil structure is maintained during cropping period

12. Early germination almost 2-3 days.

13. Better nodulation in crops like Groundnut.

14. Less nematodes population.

15.Water erosion is completely averted since soil is completely covered form bearing action of rain drops.

16.When compared to organic mulches, it serves for a longer period.

Moisture conservation.

To keep stevia leaves clean, market demand will increases.

• Plastic film with its moisture barrier properties does not allow the soil moisture to escape Water that evaporates from the soil surface under mulch film, condenses on the lower surface of the film and falls back as droplets.

• Thus moisture is preserved for several days and increases the period between two irrigations.

• The irrigation water or rainfall either moves into the soil thru holes on the mulch around the plant area or through the unmulched area.

Weed control:

• Black plastic film does not allow the sunlight to pass through on to the soil

• Photosynthesis does not take place in the absence of sunlight below black film hence, it arrests weed growth.

Limitations:

• They are costly to use in commercial production when compared to organic

mulches.

• Probability of ‘burning’ or ‘scorching’ of the young pants due to high temperature of black film.

• Difficulty in application of top dressed fertilizer

•Reptile movement and rodent activities are experienced in some places.

• More runoff

• Environmental pollution

• Difficult in machinery movement

• Can not be used for more than one season using thin mulches

• Weed penetration with thin films

•Toxic to livestock.

Areas of application:

Mulching is mainly employed for

a. Moisture conservation in rainfed areas

b. Reduction of irrigation frequency and water saving in irrigated areas

c. Soil temperature moderation in greenhouse cultivation

d. Soil solorisation for control of soil borne diseases

e. Reduce the rain impact, prevent soil erosion and maintain soil structure

f. In places where high value crops only to be cultivated.

g. In the areas where high water scarcity like Rajasthan, Gujarat, Hariyana, Punjab in India, mulching will give better crop yield as compare to existing method.

Selection of mulch:

The selection of mulches depends upon the ecological situations and primary and secondary aspects of mulching

Rainy season ………………………………………..Perforated mulch.

Orchard and plantation…………………………………………….Thicker mulch

Soil solarisation …………………………………………………..Thin transparent film

Weed control through solarisation ……………………………….Transparent film

Weed control in cropped land………………………………………….Black film

Sandy soil ……………………………………………………………………Black film

Saline water use …………………………………………………………….Black film

Summer cropped land ………………………………………………………White film

Insect repellent …………………………………………………………….Silver colour film

Early germination ……………………………………………………… Thinner film .

Conclusion:

Selection of mulch in stevia cultivation will depend according to Agro- climatic condition of a particular zone. We are realized the effect of plastic mulch in stevia cultivation in India. Famers/growers both are benefited for adopting this technique in their field. Production as well as cost of cultivation has been minimizing greatly. So, we advice our growers to adopt this technique to get better profit and control soil erosion as well as costing of cultivation.

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EFFECT OF DATES OF PLANTING ON GROWTH AND YIELD OF STEVIA

conditions play an important role in the performance of crops. For successful cultivation of any crop, crop should be exposed to an optimum climatic conditions during the growing period, so as to get maximum growth and yield of stevia.

Difference in planting dates would bring about a variation in growth and yield of stevia. So, selection of suitable time of planting is necessary to maximize the growth and biomass yield in stevia.

1.1 Growth parameters

 Dates of planting did not exhibit significant differences with respect to dry leaf yield.
Irrespective of nitrogen levels, January planting produced higher dry leaf yield (3.11 t/ha)
compared to October planting (2.59 t/ha). Assessment of dry matter production and
distribution to various plant parts is important for determination of total yield of crop Donald, 1962). The reasons for higher dry leaf yield in case of January planting may be attributed to higher leaf dry matter accumulation. The leaf dry matter accumulation was higher in case of January planting (29.61 g/plant) and it was lower in case of October planting (26.11).

The variation in leaf dry matter may be related to the variation in number of leaves
per plant, number of branches per plant and plant height. The number of leaves per plant was higher in case of January planting (391.36) compared to October planting (370.33). The plants planted in January produced higher number of branches per plant as compared in October and November, which produced minimum number of branches per plant. The plants of January planting, which experienced congenial long-day conditions with high temperature and light intensity during vegetative growth resulted in vigorous growth, which enabled them to produce more branches. October and November plants experienced unfavouarble climatic conditions (short-days and low temperature) and as a result had poor growth and in turn had less branches production.

The variation in number of leaves per plant may be due to difference in number of branches per plant, it was highest (48.04) in case of January planting compared to November planting (47.42) and lowest in case of October planting (46.82). The plant height was higher (54.72 cm) in case of January planting and it was lower (50.43 cm) in case of October planting. This increased number of leaves in early planting dates could be directly correlated to the fact that early planting had increased number of leaf bearing points in terms of increased number of branches per plant. The crop planted in October and November produced minimum number of leaves, due to the fact that they did not experience favourable growing conditions during their grand vegetative growth period. The results obtained in the present study are in confirmity with the findings of Kiyatkin (1975) in chrysanthemum.

The reasons for higher dry leaf yield in case of January planting, probably due to higher leaf area (4825.73 cm2/plant) produced in case of January planting compared to October planting (4656.36 cm2/plant) January planting recorded higher LAI (4.84) compared to October planting (4.59). Leaf area in stevia differed significantly due to different dates of planting. The leaf area per plant was highest in plants planted in January. Leaf area was minimum in plants planted during October and November. This reduced leaf area in later planting dates might be due to production of less number of leaves, which could be due to reduction in plant height and number of branches.
Increased leaf area in the plants of January planting could be attributed to the production of more number of leaves per plant which could be directly correlated to the increased plant height and number of branches.

The higher dry leaf yield and growth parameters in case of January planting may be
due to dense canopy compared to October panting. Economical yield is part of the total
biological yield of the crop and hence the dry matter production is an important eterminant of the economic yield (Donald, 1963). The total dry matter production was higher (108.78 g/plant) in case of January planting compared to October planting (100.96 g/plant).

The higher fresh leaf yield (11.58 t/ha) was obtained in case of January planting than
in October planting (9.73 t/ha). However, there was non-significant differences in fresh leaf yield between the dates of planting. The reasons for marginally higher fresh leaf yield with January planting may be attributed to more number of leaves per plant. This increased number of leaves in early planting dates could be directly correlated to fact that early planted plants had increased number of leaf bearing points in terms of increased number of branches per plant.

In initial stages of growth (30 DAP) October planting had putforth good growth with
respect to plant height and number of branches per plant, though there were no statistical differences between them. But after 45 DAP, January planting performed better compared to October planting by providing higher plant height, number of branches and leaves per plant. The reasons may be due to (day length) favourable soil physical conditions offered for the penetration and distributing roots.

1.2 Flowering 

The plants of October and November plantings were early to initiate flower buds,
early to flower and early to reach for first flowering while the plants of January were late for the same. Early flowering in October and November plants could be due to exposure of plants to unfavourable climatic conditions during the vegetative growth period as a result they entered early into the reproductive phase as they experienced short days and low temperature which favours flowering in stevia. The earliness in flowering due to short days may be attributed to an earlier morphological differentiation of flowers The earlier cessation of vegetative phase immediately after planting as observed in the plant height and number of leaves per plant at early stages of growth in the treatments of October and November plantings should have also contributed to the earliness in flowering in these treatments. Earliness in flowering due to short-day conditions has been reported by previous workers in chrysanthemum (Bareman et al., 1993 and Meher et al., 1999b). On the other hand, the January planting experienced congenial climate (long days and optimum temperature) and remained sufficiently longer in vegetative phase. The delay may be attributed to the floral inhibitors produced by the leaves under long day conditions, which in turn affects the apical differentiation as suggested by Tanaka (1968).

Plants of later plantings (October, November), which experienced lower light intensity
and duration, lower night temperature during their vegetative growth period, remained dwarf and had less number of branches and leaves and as a result had decreased flowering duration. Similarly, Nagaraju (2001) reported wider flowering duration in China aster when planted during May months.

1.3 Interaction effects nitrogen levels and dates planting on growth and 
yield

The interaction effects between dates of planting and nitrogen levels did not exhibit
significant differences with respect to dry leaf yield. However, the higher dry leaf yield (4.01 t/ha) was recorded in case of January planting when 105:30:45 kg NPK per ha was applied. Whereas, the lowest dry leaf yield (1.8 t/ha) was obtained in case of October planting with 60:30:45 kg NPK per ha.

The differences in dry leaf yield due to dates of planting and nitrogen levels
interaction may be attributed to variations in growth parameters due to variations in
temperature and light intensity. January planting which received 105:30:45 kg NPK per ha recorded maximum number of leaves per plant at harvest (468), whereas lower number of leaves per plant (295.78) was recorded in case of interaction between October planting and 60:30:45 kg NPK per ha.

The number of branches per plant at harvest was maximum (49.39) in case of
January planting which received 105:30:45 kg NPK per ha. Whereas, lower number of
branches per plant (45.78) was obtained due to combination of October planting and 60:30:45 kg NPK per ha.

The higher plant height (59.31 cm) was recorded in case of January planting when
105:30:45 kg NPK ha was applied, whereas, lowest plant height (48.00 cm) was recorded in case of October planting received 60:30:45 kg NPK per ha.

At harvest, dry matter accumulation was maximum (131.63 g/plant) in case of
January planting when 105:30:45 kg NPK ha was applied compared to that of lowest (80.60 g/plant) dry matter accumulation in case of October planting received 60:30:45 kg NPK per ha. Similar results with respect to maximum leaf dry matter production (35.82 g/plant) was recorded in the same treatment combination.

The maximum dry matter accumulation due to higher levels of nutrients may be due
to the fact that for initial impetus for plants to grow, sufficient nutrient is very much essential. The plants will have good vegetative growth which in turn helps to utilize light better.

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ISO 22000-2005,ISO 9001:2008, FSSAI, SSI, Seeds, Spice Board Of India, WHO GMP & NPOP, USDA, SGS organic certified.
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