STEVIA SEEDS

The seed of stevia is tiny and light. By way of  proof, the weight of 1000 seeds of Stevia Rebaudiana hardly exceeds 300 milligrams.

It possesses in its wild state a seed and a top which allow it to propagate with the wind. In our regions, this mode of distribution is not possible because the average temperatures and the rainfalls are not consistent with the spontaneous growth of this herb.

The seed of stevia is to be kept in a dry and cold place, shielded from the light (a refrigerator is a perfect) place for it. Numerous Japanese experiments demonstrated the excellent durability of the seeds of stevia when they are kept in these optimal conditions.

Graines de Stévia

Stevia seeds :    Besides , only the seeds of dark color (black, dark brown) possess a germinal power. The clearer seeds ( pale brown or green chestnut) are not fertile, as the flowers have not been pollinated at the right moment. Note that the germinal power is generally situated between 10 and 15 % on non sorted out seeds. Nevertheless, out of  a lot of seeds having been kept in an optimal way, and on which a meticulous sorting was operated, we can  widely hope  to exceed this return.

Finally, this reduced germinal power of the seeds of stevia does not allow to envisage intensive farming on a very large scale for this plant, as this is possible with wheat for example.

The best way of reproducing  and of multiplying it is the cuttings. Actually, the hand of necessary work to plant one hectare of stevia (or approximately 80 000 to 100 000 plants) is very heavy.