Influence of Genetic Variation on Morphological Diversity in Accessions of Stevia Rebaudiana Bertoni

Abstract

Stevia rebaudiana, a non caloric natural sweetener is currently the available substitute to sugar. It is a genus of about 150 species of herbs and shrubs, a Compositae and a native to Paraguay. The aim of this study was to evaluate collected accessions of stevia and characterize their genetic divergence. In 2010, 10 stevia accessions were collected across different locations in Malaysia. At maturity they were evaluated using morphological parameters and collected data were subjected to‘t’ test analysis at p