Growing Stevia for Market

Stevia rebaudiana is a natural, low-glycemic alternative to sugar and artificial sweeteners.
It's also a promising crop suited to a wide variety of climates and soils

Growing Stevia For Market is your complete guide to growing, harvesting, and marketing
stevia leaves and bedding plants. Valuable information is compiled from growers,
research trials, and the author's own experience.
Includes stevia leaf buyers, sellers, and other resources.

"Stevia rebaudiana thrives in a wide variety of climates and soils.
It can be a perennial crop in some climates or an annual crop where winters are cold.
However, the cultivation of stevia is fairly new. We've only begun to optimize procedures
for commercial production. There is great potential for improvement in stevia yield, quality, and profits.
This book provides a head start for academic and onfarm experimentation.
Best practices for stevia cultivation are suggested based on research studies from around the world as well as the
author's own experience of growing and using stevia for over a decade.
Growing Stevia for Market will help farmers, researchers, market gardeners, nurseries,
and greenhouse operators succeed with stevia." - from the preface

About The Author

Jeffrey Goettemoeller grew up gardening alongside his dad
and went on to earn a B.S. degree with a major in horticulture
at Northwest Missouri State University. Under the direction of
Dr. Alejandro Ching, Jeffrey completed a published
research study on the production of Stevia rebaudiana seeds.
Years later, he still grows and studies stevia. Jeffrey is the
author of Stevia Sweet Recipes: Sugarfree-Naturally!, with over
300,000 copies in print, and Growing and Using Stevia: The Sweet
Leaf from Garden to Table with 35 Recipes.

Contents

List of Figures - vi

Acknowledgements - viii

Preface - ix

Introduction - 1

1. Climate and Day Length - 7

2. Plant Propagation - 33

3. Field Preparation and Plant Care - 57

4. Field Planting - 93

5. Harvesting and Postharvest - 103

6. Marketing and Economics - 123

Appendix 1: Field Trial Summaries - 141

Appendix 2: Stevia Leaf Buyers - 167

Appendix 3: Selected Resources - 169

Glossary - 179

Bibliography - 187

Index - 193

About the Author - 205