Stevioside content and morphological variability in a population of Stevia rebaudiana (Bertoni) Bertoni from Paraguay

The leaf content of the sweetener stevioside was investigated with regard to the morphological characteristic of plant of Stevia rebaudiana (Bertoni)Bertoni grown in one of the most productive areas of Paraguay. The HPLC quantitative determination of stevioside was carried out on dried leaves of 13 morphologically different types of plants. The average levels of stevioside in the dried leaves varied from 102.3 to 134.6 g/kg. This variability (about 30% in respect to the minimum value), related to the ratio of the weight of the leaf to that of the whole aerial part, has furnished the first useful information for purposes of asssociating the types of growth habits with stevioside output.