In vitro regeneration of Stevia rebaudiana (bert) from the nodal explant

Procedure for micropropagation of Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni, containing stevioside, a natural noncaloric sweetner, has been developed using nodal segments as explant. Higher proliferation of shoots and multiplication was obtained on Murashige and Skoog basal medium (MS) supplemented with 1.0 mg l⁻¹ indoleacetic acid (IAA) plus 10.0 mg l⁻¹ kinetin and 30.0 mg l⁻¹ adenine sulphate. Sprouting of 90% of the axillary buds was observed within 4 weeks of inoculation, producing >10.0 shoots per explant within 12 weeks. Profuse roots were induced from 90% of the regenerated shoots within 4 weeks of inoculation on half strength MS solid medium supplemented with 1.0 mg l⁻¹ IAA. High survival rate, > 60%, was obtained when the plantlets were transferred to field conditions. The survival rate of taller plants was always higher. The in vitro regenerated plants were morphologically indistinguishable from the donor plants and leaves were of intense sweet taste upon chewing. The heterogenic nature of S. rebaudiana necessitates establishment of protocol for every genotype independently.