Effect of Intercropping and Fertilization on The Yield and Quality of Stevia as a Natural Sweetener

Abstract

Due to the need of stevia plants to moderate temperature throughout the year and the high costs of its production inside greenhouses, therefore the Intercropping may be the optimum solved to get up heating in winter and shading in summer in addition to increasing the cropping area. The cultivation of these economic crops is needed to fill the nutritional gap of grains and oils. Field experiment was conducted through 2019/2020 and was replicated at 2020/2021 in the Experimental Farm of Mallawi Agricultural Research Station, El-Minia Governorate, Egypt to investigate the effect of some Intercropping patterns and fertilizers combination on the yield and quality of stevia as a natural sweetener. Randomized complete blocks design in split-plot arrangement was used where, the main plots consisted of five Intercropping patterns, while the fertilizers combinations were assigned in sub plot. Results showed that Intercropping pattern had a significant effect on most aspects of growth in both seasons. It was noticed that the treatment of 80% N mixed with Biofertilizers, and compost surpassed the other treatments in both seasons. The net profit of using mixing biofertilizer + Compost plus 80 % mineral N fertilizer for stevia and wheat intercrop recorded 651.075 &691.403 L.E. fed in the1st and 2nd successive seasons, respectively.

Keywords

• intercropping, fertilization steviarebaudiana
• glycosides
• stevioside
• rebaudioside