Optimizing nitrogen fertilization for enhanced antioxidant and phytochemical profiles in Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni
Ankita Kumari1, Priya Kumari, Pritom Biswas and Nitish Kumara*1
1Department of Biotechnology, Central University of South Bihar, Gaya – 824236 {India} *Corresponding author: nitish@cub.ac.in; nitishbt@gmail.com
ABSTRACT
Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni, along with its primary sweet constituents, stevioside and rebaudioside A, offers sweetness that is 250–300 times greater than that of sucrose while contributing negligible caloric content which makes this an important plant to cultivate. This research examined defining the upper limits of nitrogen {N} uptake and optimizingits use efficiency. Experiments were conducted in Bihar, India, to evaluate the effects of different dosages N concentrations on Stevia rebaudiana. The treatments are control and plants treated with N at 200kgN/ha. The studymeasured various antioxidant and phytochemical assay of leaves {segregated into upper node, middle node, and lower node}, stem, root. It is concluded that 200kgN/ha is the optimal concentration for enhancing stevia physiological health.