Stevia’s incredible natural sweetness has spurred its cultivation around the world. Growing stevia requires a lot of work, not to mention some help from mother earth, sun and rain. For industrial scale cultivation it is plant genetics along with their adaptation to their environment (climate and disease control) that will determine the quality and quantity of leaf production. Irrigation is required to ensure good biomass production. Disease prevention along with controlling flowering in areas centered around the equator may be the greatest challenge. Click on the tabs below to get a general idea of what is involved when growing high quality stevia leaf:
- 1.0 *** Environment & Climate:
- 1.1 Climate
- 1.2 Humidity
- 1.3 Latitude
- 2.0 *** Water and Irrigation:
- 2.1 Plant Water Requirements
- 2.2 Access to Water
- 2.3 Irrigation
- 3.0 *** Soil & Land
- 3.1 Soil
- 3.2 Field Design
- 3.3 Levelness and Firmness
- 3.4 Raised Beds
- 4.0 *** Infrastructure
- 4.1 Access
- 4.2 Electricity
- 4.3 Communication
- 4.4 Planning Permission
- 5.0 *** Cultivation
- 5.1 Stevia Strain
- 5.2 Planting
- 5.3 Seed/Transplants
- 6.0 *** Fertilisation & Weed Control
- 6.1 Fertilisation
- 6.2 Weed control
- 7.0 *** Economics of Production/Yield
- 7.1 Economics of Production
- 7.2 Yield
- 8.0 *** Cultural Practices
- 9.0 *** Harvesting
- 9.1 Timing and Technique
The above guidelines give you an insight on some of things we focus on during stevia cultivation. Perhaps you are using this information for your own cultivation activities. Please do remember that these are guidelines only and that before venturing into stevia cultivation thorough research would be recommended. For additional information on the above please contact us.