STEVIA
Other Common Names Include :
Sweet leaf, sugarleaf
Latin Name : Stevia rebaudiana
Plant Family : Asteraceae
Close Relatives : Daisies, chrysanthemums
Uses and Markets : Culinary, Medicinal (Stevia leaves contain steviosides, which are used as non-caloric sweeteners)
Production Life Cycle in Ontario
Annual
Hardiness Zone
N/A
Special Notes
Although stevia has been cultivated in Ontario, it is not winter hardy, and therefore must be replanted each season. This makes production economically uncompetitive with warmer growing regions (e.g. California, China), where stevia can be grown as a perennial crop.
Propagation method
Transplants
Greenhouse Seeding/Propagation Dates
Seed to plug trays in early March.
Field Seeding Date:
N/A
Field Transplanting Dates
Early to mid-May.
In-row spacing
100,000 plants/ha
Between row spacing
53-61 cm
Optimal Soil temperature at planting
>10°C
Fertility
No current Ontario fertility recommendations exist. Research and recommendations from outside Ontario do not necessarily apply to Ontario growing conditions. Research from Japan suggests 105kg/ha N, 23kg/ha P and 180kg/ha K from both fertilizer and soil, would be adequate for Ontario. Click here for phosphorus and potassium application guidelines and for more information on specialty crop fertility.
Soil type
Well drained soils.
Soil pH
Acidic
Special requirements for growth habit
Low tolerance for saline soils.
Optimal Temperature Range
Prefers a temperate warm climate.
Temperature sensitivity
Will not survive temperatures below -3°C.
Irrigation requirements
Irrigation beneficial under normal Ontario conditions (but may not be economical - see special notes above).
Days to harvest
54-104 days depending on day length sensitivity of cultivar.
Specialized equipment
N/A
Harvest:
Harvest Scheduling
Single harvest
Hand harvest or machine harvest
Machine harvest
Quality parameters/grades
No established grades.
Additional Harvest Notes
Plants are harvested just prior to flowering. They are cut off at ground level and loaded into a drying wagon.
Post harvest
Special handling/curing
Whole plants are dried at 40°C to 50°C to less than 10% moisture immediately after harvest, followed by processing to separate the leaves from the stems.
Storage Conditions
Dried leaves are stored at low temperature in sealed, plastic lined boxes until processed to extract the steviosides.
Relative humidity (RH): Low
Temperature (°C): Low
Air Exchange: N/A
Duration: N/A
Specific pests observed on this crop in Ontario (observations based on limited experience with this crop)
Insects and Invertebrates: Cutworms
Diseases: Septorialeaf spot (Septoria steviae), white mould ( Sclerotinia sclerotiorum)
Other: Deer
Other Potential Pests: The following pests have not been observed on this crop in Ontario. However, they are either significant concerns for closely related plants in Ontario, or are reported on this crop in other production areas. This is not a comprehensive list of all potential pests. Not all of these pests will necessarily survive Ontario’s climate, but could potentially survive in a protected environment (e.g. greenhouse, storage facility).
Insects and Invertebrates: Aphids, whiteflies (greenhouse), mealy bugs (greenhouse), mites
Diseases: Powdery mildew (Erysiphe spp.), damping off (Rhizoctonia solani Kuehn.), stem rot (Sclerotium dephinii Welch)
Comments
To date the following pests have been the most significant in Ontario: cutworms, Septoria, deer. Repeated mechanical row-cultivating can be used to control weeds. The crop may also require hand hoeing and weeding. This crop is not in a crop group. For more information on Crop Groups, refer to the Pest section. There may be limited pest control products registered on this crop – consult an OMAFRA specialist for details. Always refer to product labels, and follow all directions specified on the label, before applying any pest control product. For more information, consult an OMAFRA specialist.
None
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Research trials done by Agriculture and Agri-food Canada, OMAFand MRA (Mike Columbus), Royal Sweet International Technologies and local farmers. 1989-1995. On-farm and at the Delhi Southern Crop Protection and Food Research Centre.
- Columbus, M. 1997. The cultivation of Stevia, “Nature’s Sweetener”. Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food and Ministry of Rural Affairs.
- Brandle, J.E., A.N. Starratt and M. Gijzen. 1998. Stevia rebaudiana: Its agricultural, biological and chemical properties. Canadian Journal of Plant Science, 78:527-536.
- Ramesh, K., V. Singh and N.W. Megeji. 2006. Cultivation of Stevia [Stevia rebaudiana (Bert.) Bertoni]: A comprehensive review. Advances in Agronomy. 89:138-177
