The present study was carried out with an aim to evaluate Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni segregants and to characterize them morphochemically to facilitate selection of superior genotypes for hybridization in breeding programs. | Turkish Journal of Botany Research Article Turk J Bot (2018) 42: 491-501 © TÜBİTAK doi: Interpopulation variations in morphochemical characteristics of Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni Neena KUMARI* , Ravinder RAINA , Yash Pal SHARMA Department of Forest Products, Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, Solan, Himachal Pradesh, India Received: Accepted/Published Online: Final Version: Abstract: The present study was carried out with an aim to evaluate Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni segregants and to characterize them morphochemically to facilitate selection of superior genotypes for hybridization in breeding programs. Two identified strains named A and B and their segregant populations (F1 and F2) were evaluated with their morphological and chemical characteristics. Various qualitative and quantitative morphological characters including leaf shape, plant type (loose or compact), plant habit, plant height, and shoot collar diameter were considered. Simultaneously stevioside and rebaudioside-A content was evaluated. A few individuals were identified with rebaudioside-A content ranging from to and the ratio between stevioside and rebaudioside-A was found to be very low. One plant with stevioside of was obtained. Key words: Extraction, morphology, populations, rebaudioside-A, Stevia, stevioside 1. Introduction Low-calorie sweeteners have gained importance due to an increase in the number of diabetic people in the world. As per a World Health Organization report, the number of diabetic people will be 80 million by 2025. Synthetic lowcalorie sweeteners have been in use for a long time but are associated with some health risks like carcinogenicity, weight gain, headache, and depression (Tandel, 2011). Consequently, people prefer natural sweeteners rather than synthetic ones. Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni is an important natural sweetener-containing .
