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Vegetative Propagation of Stevia (Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni Hemsl) Using Stem Tip Cuttings in Different Growing Media

Ryan Jay A. Ogao-Ogao1, Pedrito S. Nitural1,2, and Florencia G. Claveria1,3,*

1Agrivet Sciences Institute, De La Salle Araneta University,
Salikneta Farm, Upper Ciudad Real, City of San Jose del Monte, Bulacan, Philippines
1,2Departmentof Crop Science, College of Agriculture,
Central Luzon State University, Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija, Philippines
1,3Department of Biology, College of Science, De La Salle University,
2401 Taft Avenue, 0922 Manila Philippines

*Corresponding author: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

 


ABSTRACT
The study was intended to teach students the essence of recycling farm wastes to support the cultivation of valuable crops like stevia (Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni Hemsl). The study was undertaken to evaluate different combinations of growing media in the asexual propagation of stevia, specifically on the rooting and survival of stem tip cuttings, and to evaluate the best growing medium that can enhance survival and production. The different growing media combinations were recycled from the farm, namely: spent mushroom compost (M), chicken manure compost (Ck), fine sand (FS), and garden soil (GS). The earliest emergence of root initiation of cuttings (8.00 ± 1.73 to 8.67 ± 1.15 days) was recorded in T5 (1Ck:1FS v/v),T6 (3Ck + FS v/v) and T7 (1GS:3Ck v/v). The poor survival of T5 stevia was deemed attributable to the poor root initiation (22.23 ± 9.93) of cuttings. Longer roots were observed in cuttings grown in T5 and T6 (6.40 ± 0.26 to   6.40 ± 1.00). The highest number of shoots produced per cutting (7.27a ± 0.50) was recorded in T9 (3GS + 1Ck v/v), while T8 (1GS:1Ck v/v) produced the lowest number of shoots. Stevia cuttings grown in T3 (3GS:CMS (3:1 v/v) registered the highest mean survival rate (82.22 ± 38.95), and comparable to T1 (66.67 ± 5.80), T6 (65.53 ± 6.93), T8 (55.57 ± 16.43), and T9 (71.10 ± 6.96), all markedly higher relative to the control group (21.13 ± 5.10). Present findings point to survival of stevia being enriched in growing medium comprising GS, M and CK. In light of these findings, experimentation on the combination of animal manure compost, spent mushroom compost and garden soil, and studies on the quality of leaves produced including chemical analysis are highly recommended.


INTRODUCTION
Stevia is a herb that grows naturally in tropical climates like Paraguay and Brazil, where it grows wild as a small shrub and has long been used a sweetener (Muth 2011; Madan et al. 2010). There are more than 100 species of stevia plant belonging to family Asteraceae, but Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni Hemsl stands out for its excellent properties as a sweetener (Barreda et al. 2015). Stevia’s sweetening property is attributed to its component glycosides. These include rebaudioside A, the sweetest-flavored leafy component that is chemically similar to sugar in onset, intensity, and duration of sweetness without aftertaste. Another component is the white crystalline compound stevioside, a natural herbal sweetener with . . . . . read more


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