Phenological growth stages of stevia (Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni) according to the Biologische Bundesanstalt Bundessortenamt and Chemical Industry (BBCH) scale

Abstract

Stevia (Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni) is a perennial crop belonging to the Asteraceae family. Its main agronomic and industrial interest is the accumulation in its leaves of steviol glycosides (SG), natural acaloric sweeteners which are 300 times sweeter than sucrose. In order to expand phenotyping knowledge on this emerging crop, researchers and breeders need a universal scale to describe the development of this plant. The objective of this study was to describe the phenological growth stages of stevia through the use of the Biologische Bundesanstalt Bundessortenamt and Chemical Industry (BBCH) scale to provide a standard scale for stevia grown under temperate conditions of production and climate. The observation of phenological stages was performed on genetic resources and validated on stevia progenies grown in field conditions. The 10 phenological stages, namely germination, bud development, foliar development, side shoots appearance, stems elongation, development of harvestable part of the crop, inflorescence emergence, flowering, development of fruit, seeds ripening and senescence, were used to describe the stevia, supplemented with pictures. The chronology and duration of each stage were also observed and described according to the accumulation of degree days during the growing season. This study presents the first BBCH scale established for S. rebaudiana cultivated in temperate conditions and a chronology of phenological stages based on the accumulation of thermal time, through growing degree day calculation (°C/day). This work provides a tool that can be widely used by farmers, breeders and researchers leading to better agronomic management and scientific communication.

Health-Promoting Compounds in Stevia: The Effect of Mycorrhizal Symbiosis, Phosphorus Supply and Harvest Time

“…Three different destructive samplings were carried out at 69, 89 and 123 days after transplanting (DAT). According to the Biologische Bundesanstalt, Bundessortenamt and Chemical industry (BBCH) phenological growth stages proposed by Le Bihan et al [ 49 ] for stevia, we have defined the three harvest times as follows: 69 DAT corresponds to Stage 43 = 30% of harvested part of the plant is developed; 89 DAT corresponds to Stage 49 = ending of leaf biomass development; about 90% of final leaf biomass is developed; 123 DAT corresponds to Stage 55 = 50% of apex leaves are differentiated and present inflorescence, but flower buds are still closed. Leaves of each single replicate were air-dried in a ventilated oven from 30 to 40 °C until constant weight.…”

“…Three different destructive samplings were carried out at 69, 89 and 123 days after transplanting (DAT). According to the Biologische Bundesanstalt, Bundessortenamt and Chemical industry (BBCH) phenological growth stages proposed by Le Bihan et al [49] alexandrinum as host plants and, after accurate identification, it was stored at IMA collection. This mycorrhizal fungus, provided by the laboratory of Microbiology of DAFE, was used as inoculum, following the procedure described by Tavarini et al [16].…”

Stevia rebaudiana (Bertoni) as a Multifunctional and Sustainable Crop for the Mediterranean Climate

“…where T max is the daily maximum air temperature, T min is the daily minimum air temperature, and T b is the base temperature, for which 10 • C was used [22]. For each growing season, two destructive samplings (namely HT1 and HT2) were carried out at the following phenological stages (according to the BBCH scale by Le Bihan et al [25]): HT1-Stage 48 = about 80% of final leaf biomass is developed; and HT2-Stage 55 = 50% of apex leaves are differentiated and present inflorescence, but flower buds are still closed.…”

Phenological Assessment for Agronomic Suitability of Some Agastache Species Based on Standardized BBCH Scale

“…Revived interest in applicative nature of plant phenology is evidenced by new works on phenological description based on standardized BBCH growth stages for various other herbaceous plants, such as stevia (Stevia rebaudiana) [49], yam bean (Pachyrhizus erosus) [50], ginseng (Panax ginseng) [51], chia (Slavia hispanica) [52], lulo (Solanum quitoense var. septentrionale) [53], Gaúcho tomato (Lycopersicum esculentum) [54], chilli (Capsicum annuum, C. chinense, C. baccatum) [55], Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus) [56], Proso millet (Panicum miliaceum) [57], the weed green foxtail (Setaria viridis) [58] and Mediterranean forage legumes [59].…”