Researchers in the Treasure Valley area of Idaho and Oregon are trying to develop a reliable seed line for stevia, a plant that is 200 to 300 times sweeter than sugar.
Once that happens, the plant could be an attractive option for the region’s farmers.
But the plant likely won’t be grown commercially here until researchers learn how to reliably produce the small shrub from seed.
Stevia is used as a natural sweetener in drinks and food.
Unlike potatoes, corn and other crops that farmers have bred for hundreds of years, stevia has only been researched for about 50 years, said Cheryl Parris, research and development manager at S&W Seed Co.
Because of that, there is currently too much genetic diversity in stevia to grow it from seed, so it’s being grown from clones, or rooted cuttings, that are produced in a greenhouse and then transplanted into the field.
The labor and expense involved in growing stevia that way at 40,000 plants an acre makes it too expensive to be an attractive alternative to commercial farmers in the U.S., Parris said.
The company’s stevia research is centered in Nampa. Parris is trying to develop a reliable seed line that farmers can plant.
Source: www.capitalpress.com