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Stevia seeds

Stevia is a perennial herb belonging to the stevia family. Plant height 1-1.3 m. Root tip hypertrophy, 50-60, up to 25 cm long. Stem erect, base tip lignified, upper part tender, dense short hairs, corolla base light purplish red or white, upper part white. Achenes linear, slightly oblate, brown, crested. Flowering period from July to September, fruit period from September to November.

Native to the South American alpine grassland on the border of Paraguay and Brazil. Since 1977, it has been introduced and cultivated in Beijing, Hebei, Shaanxi, Jiangsu, Anhui, Fujian, Hunan, Yunnan and other places.

It thrives in warm, moist environments and is sensitive to light. Leaves contain 6-12% inulin, fine white powder, is a low calorie, high sweetness of natural sweetener, is one of the raw materials of food and pharmaceutical industry.

Morphological characteristics

Perennial herb, 1-1.3 m tall. Shallow root system consists of primary root and secondary root. The root distribution depth is 20-40 cm, and the biennial roots can sprout several to dozens of stems in the next year, which 

can be divided and propagated. The root tip is hypertrophic, 50-60, and the stem is erect and round. The annual seedlings are single stems, and the perennials are tufted. Base tip lignified, upper soft, dense short hairs,

Leaves opposite or upper part of stem, a few trilobate wheels, leaf blade short, obovate or lanceolate, margin lightly serrated, both sides covered with short hairs, green or thick green, leaf veins three, very sweet. Leaves 

have similar moldy white hair production, is the normal secretion of juice, mostly in rainy days caused by collection.

Inflorescence small, bisexual flowers, involucral tubular, involucral 5-6 layers, edges equal in length; Receptacle flat, bald; Corolla light purplish red or white at base, white above. Achenes linear, slightly oblate, brown, 

crested. The 1000-grain weight of the seed is about 0.4g, no dormant period, easy to lose the ability to germinate, and the life span is not more than one year. Late July - early August is the budding period. Flowering period 

from July to September, fruit period from September to November.

Growing environment

Stevia likes to grow in a warm and humid environment, but it can also withstand -5 ° C low temperature, and the temperature is the most suitable for stem and leaf growth at 20-30 ° C. Stevia is a short-day plant with strong 

sensitivity to light, and the critical day length is 12 hours, especially during the growing period, but it should not be stained. Stevia has shallow roots and poor drought resistance. The days are short and bright. Stevia is a 

short-day plant with strong sensitivity to light, and the optimal growth period is 100-120 days.

Propagation method

In seed propagation and production, the methods of sowing and raising seedlings and then transplanting and transplanting are mainly adopted. In the southern provinces of China, flat bed seeding is usually used, while in 

the north, hotbed seeding is used. The sowing time in the south bank of the Yangtze River was l0-1l months. The seedlings overwintered in the growing border and could be transplanted to the field in mid-to-late March of 

the next year. In the north, greenhouse or hotbed planting is generally used for 24 months. In order to make the seeds evenly scattered, the seeds can be mixed with fine sand before sowing, and then soaked in warm water

for 10-12 hours, and then mixed with a small amount of grass and trees. After sowing, gently press the seeds with wooden planks to make them contact with the soil, and then spray water to the bed surface once with a 

sprayer to keep the bed moist and improve the emergence rate. Suitable temperature and humidity, 7-10 days after sowing can germinate unearthed. Sowing amount: 500 grams per 100 square meters of seedling bed, the 

actual number of cultivated strong seedlings is 200,000-250,000, enough to plant 12-15 acres of land. Generally, 8000-9000 seedlings are planted per mu, and dense planting can reach 10000-12000.

Cuttings can be cut from late March to late August, and the survival rate of cutting cuttings before the emergence of buds is higher. When cutting, select healthy branches and side stems that meet the requirements, cut small 

sections 15-20 cm long, insert 1/3-l/2 of the cuttings into the bed soil, and the spacing of the plant rows is 2 cm ×5 cm. Water in time after the plug, cover the top with a straw curtain or plastic film, keep warm at night, avoid 

direct sunlight at noon, appropriate ventilation and light when growing new buds, gradually exercise the adaptability of the seedlings to the outside world, and form a strong seedling with developed roots, strong stems and 

leaves, and normal color.

In addition, although the laminate can also reproduce, it is only used when the selection work is to retain the excellent single plant, and it is not suitable for large-scale cultivation and production.

Spring planting, each planting 1 mu of stevia, about 10-20 square meters of seedlings. Rub off crown before sowing and soak overnight in clean water. When sowing, the seedbed is filled with water first, and after the water seeps 

down, the seeds are evenly sprinkled on the seedbed, and then the seeds are covered with fine sand or fine soil, and the seeds are half exposed and half buried. Finally, use bamboo skewers to make an arch, and cover the seedling 

bed tightly with mulch. Generally 5-6 days can be seedlings, seedlings should pay attention to refining after emergence. When the seedlings grow to 5-6 pairs of true leaves, they can be transplanted when the temperature is above 

15 ° C. General line spacing 30-40 cm; Plant spacing 15-20 cm. Pour sufficient root water when transplanting.

Cultivation technique

Field management

Use phosphate and potassium fertilizer as base fertilizer and nitrogen fertilizer as topdressing. The first topdressing is 5-10 days after seedling survival, 10 kg of urea per mu, in the growth boom, the second topdressing 20-25 kg, 

the third topdressing is carried out after harvesting, 15 kg of urea per mu, after weeding and harvesting, once topdressing once.

Harvest and keep seed

The content of stevia in leaves was the highest at bud stage, and the air drying rate of leaves was also the highest. As long as 30% to 40% of the plants are bud, it can be used as the harvest period. When harvesting, cut off the branches 

about 20 cm from the ground, and be careful to leave 1-2 leafy branches per plant to help the plant grow. Take off the leaves immediately after harvesting to dry, and strive to dry on the same day to avoid blackening. Where conditions 

exist, artificial baking can be carried out for better quality. Stevia likes the light for about 10 hours a day, and when the plant grows to 40-60 cm, it is covered to block the light, so that the seeds can mature for about 10 days. Stevia is a 

perennial crop, resistant to low temperature winter, the next spring, the old roots will be dug out of the field, can be directly planted in the field.

If you have demands of the seeds, please contact us freely.