Dynamics of steviol glycosides (stevioside and rebaudioside-A) with growth and development of Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni

In the present investigation, the dynamics of steviol glycosides (stevioside and rebaudioside-A) of Stevia rebaudiana with their growth stages were studied. The study aimed to examine the best stage of harvesting (month of the year) the crop with respect to maximum accumulation of stevioside and rebaudioside-A content in different plant parts (leaves, green stem and woody stem). The results showed that the maximum stevioside content in leaves (8.55%) was found in June month (vegetative stage). Rebaudioside-A content in leaves (7.00%) was at its peak in August (vegetative stage). Whereas, higher stevioside and rebaudioside-A content was found for green stem (0.93%) and woody stem (0.18%) during September month (flowering stage). Leaves showed maximum yields of stevioside (17.60g) and rebaudioside-A (13.75g) per plant in July month. The study indicated that it is economical to harvest the leaves of S. rebaudiana rather than harvesting whole aerial biomass in vegetative phase (July month).