Influence of Plant Population Density on Growth and Yield of Stevia (Stevia Rebaudiana Bertoni L.)

Objective: An experiment was conducted at Wondo Genet Agricultural Research Center in the production season of 2013/14 and 2014/15 with the objective of identifying the best combination of intra and interrow spacing for optimum plant population density of stevia. Methods: The experiment was conducted using five intrarow spacing (20cm, 25cm, 30cm, 35cm, and 40cm) and three interrow spacing (40cm, 50cm and 60cm) with total treatment combination of fifteen that were laid out in factorial RCBD design with three replications. In 2013/14 cropping season the maximum fresh leaf weight (19467kg ha1), fresh aboveground biomass (25002kg ha1) and dry leaf weigh (7834kg ha1) were obtained from the combined pacing of 20cm intrarow and 40cm interrow spacing. In 2014/15 cropping season, the maximum fresh leaf weight (16470.1 kg ha1) and (14433.9kg ha1),  fresh aboveground biomass (27547kg ha1) and (23619.8kg ha1)  and dry leaf weight (4773.7 kg ha1) and (4314.0 kg ha1) were obtained from 20cm intrarow and 40cm interrow spacing respectively. Results: Although the study showed that the highest Stevia herbage yield per unit area was recorded from the combined spacing of 20cm intrarow and 40cm interrow spacing, considering the difficult condition we met during weeding and watering, we, therefore; suggest that the best combined intrarow and interrow spacing for Stevia is 25cm x 40cm to attain maximum yield under appropriate management conditions at Wondo genet and similar locations.