Download Propagation of Stevia rebaudiana by Rooted Cuttings

Ext/CrS 154 • June 2015
SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE TECHNIQUES Propagation of
Stevia rebaudiana by
Rooted Cuttings
C.C. Shock
in many parts of the world (Figure 1).
Stevia varieties that have higher
performance and higher amounts of steviol
glycosides (such as rebaudioside A) can be
increased by rooting cuttings under mist in a
plastic house or frame.
Choosing mother plants
Cuttings of stevia need to be collected from
plants that are growing in vegetative
conditions. This means that the plants have
not been induced by short day-length to
flower. Plants are induced to flower before
buds or flowers are present on the plant
(Figure 2). Stevia is a short day plant and
will flower when the days become shorter
than 13 hours long (Metivar and Viana,
1979; Valio 1977; Zaidan et al., 1980).
Stevia varieties vary in their sensitivity to
day length.
Figure 1. Stevia rebaudiana cutting rooted
in a plug.
Oregon State University, Malheur Experiment
Station, Ontario, Oregon: Clinton C. Shock, director
and professor. Pictures by C.C. Shock and R.
Lishman.
Funding to prepare this publication was provided by
S&W Seeds, Fresno, CA.
Cite as C.C. Shock. 2015. Propagation of Stevia
rebaudiana by rooted cuttings, Sustainable
Agriculture Techniques, Oregon State University,
Department of Crop and Soil Science Ext/CrS 154.
R
ooted cuttings of Stevia rebaudiana
are needed for successful
commercial production of stevia leaf
Figure 2. Plants of Stevia rebaudiana with
no buds or flowers that have already been
induced to flower by short day-length.
Adequate light duration
Adequate light regimes are needed for
mother plant root stock and rooting cuttings.
Neither the mother plants that are a source
of cuttings nor the cuttings that are being
rooted should be maintained in an
environment that induces flowering because
rooted cuttings that have been induced to
flower or are already flowering produce very
poor plants. The plants from cuttings that
have been induced to flower are poor
because they root weakly and grow slowly.
The light regime can be extended to a longer
day by artificial lighting or the night can be
interrupted with red light to avoid flowering
(Ceunen and Genus, 2012, 2013; Ceunen et
al., 2012).
Collection of plant material to
increase
Pinch or clip off the growing tip with two or
three well-formed nodes, each with a couple
of expanded leaves. Place each cutting
individually in a cell tray. The rooted
cuttings will be easier to transplant to the
field because the root system will be intact
when pulled out of the cells.
Use rooting hormone
Figure 3. Trays of growth media with Stevia
rebaudiana cuttings inserted into the media.
Rooting under mist
Place the trays with cuttings inside a plastic
house and turn on an intermittent misting
system (Figure 4). The trays must be
suspended above the soil surface to avoid
transmitting soil borne diseases and
nematodes to the new cuttings and
eventually into new fields.
Rooting hormone helps rooting success.
The hormone product should contain indole
butyric acid (IBA), a common rooting
compound. Cuttings can be dipped in the
rooting hormone, drenched with a dilute
solution of rooting hormone, or sprinkled
with a solution of rooting hormone
immediately after being inserted (stuck) into
the soil.
Planting trays
Fill planting trays with sterile growth
medium. Ideally the growth medium should
be a plug mix so that the rooted cuttings will
pull easily out of the planting tray. The
growth medium must be sterilized to avoid
transmitting soil borne diseases and
nematodes to new fields. Place the cuttings
so one half is buried in the growth medium
(Figure 3).
Figure 4. Trays with Stevia rebaudiana
cuttings in the planting media being rooted
under mist. The trays are suspended off of
the soil surface to reduce pest transmission
to the field. Photo by R. Lishman.
The light regime in the mist chamber must
be managed to avoid flower induction.
After a couple of weeks, the cuttings should
have roots (Figure 1). Reduce the misting
frequency and very lightly increase the
water stress. Continue to manage the light
regime to avoid flower induction.
Hardening off the rooted cuttings
prior to transplanting
After a third or fourth week, the rooted
cuttings can be moved outdoors (weather
permitting) under a sprinkler system to
harden off the rooted cuttings before
transplanting. Once again the trays must be
suspended above the soil surface to avoid
transmitting soil borne diseases and
nematodes to new fields. Continue to
manage the light regime to avoid flower
induction.
If cuttings are being grown in a less
favorable environment where each step
takes longer, adapt the timeline to the
growing conditions.
752.
Metivier, J., Viana, A.M., 1979. The effect
of long and short day length upon the
growth of whole plants and the level of
soluble proteins, sugars and stevioside in
leaves of Stevia rebaudiana Bert. J. Exp.
Bot. 30:1211–1222.
Valio, I.F.M., Rocha, R.F., 1976.
Physiological effects of steviol. Z.
Pflanzenphysiol. 78,
90–94.
Zaidan L.B.P, Dietrich S.M.C, Felippe G.M.
1980. Effect of photoperiod on flowering
and stevioside content in plants of Stevia
rebaudiana Bertoni. Japan. Jour. Crop Sci.
49:569-74.
Care upon transplanting
Plants require frequent irrigation and moist
soil when first transplanted. With successful
transplanting, survival is almost 100%
(Figure 5).
References:
Ceunen, S., Geuns, J.M.C., 2013. Spatiotemporal variation of the diterpene steviol in
Stevia rebaudiana grown under different
photoperiods, Phytochemistry. 89:32–38.
Ceunen, S., Geuns, J.M.C., 2012. Effect of
red LED light on steviol glycoside
accumulation and transcriptional analysis of
the genes involved. In: Geuns, J.M.C. (Ed.),
Stevia: 6 Months Beyond Authorization.
Proceedings of the 6th EUSTAS Stevia
Symposium. Euprint, Heverlee, pp. 41–60.
Ceunen, S., Werbrouck, S., Geuns, J.M.C.,
2012. Stimulation of steviol glycoside
accumulation in Stevia rebaudiana by red
LED light. J. Plant Physiol. 169:749–
Figure 5. Harvesting of a new planting of
Stevia rebaudiana that had been planted five
months earlier using rooted cuttings.
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Published June 2015.