PJB-2017-262
Response and stevioside levels of stevia (Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni) grown at different light intensity and water availability
Diah Rachmawati, Sudjino and Isna Jati Asiyah
Abstract
Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni has a great potency to be cultivated and developed as a raw material for natural sweetener, sugar cane substitution, and as synthetic sugar substitution because it has sweetness level of 300 times higher than sugar cane. Suitable cultivation techniques are needed to increase crop productivity. Whereas environmental factors such as light intensity and water availability play an important role on plant growth and development. The objectives of this research was to study the response and stevioside level of stevia (Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni) grown at different light intensities and water availability. The experiment was designed in Completely Randomized Design consisted of two factors: light intensities (100%, 50%, and 25%) and water availability (100%, 75%, 50%, and 25% of feld capacity). The variables observed were the plant height, number of nodes, number of leaves, plant biomass, shoot-root ratio, chlorophyll content, density and stomata index and stevioside level. The results showed that the light intensity and water availability significantly affected growth attibutes, but there was no effect on levels of chlorophyll as well as the density and index of stomata. Light intensity of 100% and water availability of 100% caused a greater increased of plant height, number of nodes, number of leaves, and plant biomass compared to other treatments. Stevioside level tended to increase at low light intensity, whereas water availability did not affect the stevioside level.
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