KazNU Scientists Develop New Stevia Breeding Lines Adapted to the Conditions of Almaty Region

Scientists from Al-Farabi Kazakh National University are conducting research aimed at developing highly productive stevia breeding lines adapted to the agro-climatic conditions of the Almaty Region and creating specialized beverages with improved functional properties based on the resulting plant material. The project combines plant biotechnology, physiology, breeding and food technology to promote stevia as a domestic source of plant-based raw materials.

Stevia (Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni) is a plant containing steviol glycosides with strong sweetening properties. Stevioside and rebaudiosides found in the plant are significantly sweeter than sucrose and have low caloric value. These characteristics make stevia a promising plant-based raw material for the development of reduced-sugar and functional food products, including specialized beverages.

The relevance of the research is associated with the growing prevalence of diabetes and diet-related metabolic disorders, as well as increasing demand for natural sugar substitutes. According to the project materials, the number of officially registered diabetes cases in Kazakhstan has increased significantly in recent years. Therefore, the development of products containing natural sweeteners and possessing functional properties is becoming an important area of research.

One of the main challenges is the limited availability of stevia varieties and breeding lines adapted to the conditions of southern Kazakhstan. At the same time, the agro-climatic conditions of the southern regions are suitable for stevia cultivation, creating an opportunity to establish productive plant material capable of stable growth under local conditions. To address this challenge, the researchers aim to develop new stevia lines with enhanced productivity and adaptive potential.

Individual selection, cell selection and microclonal propagation will be used to develop highly productive breeding lines. Stevia seeds and green cuttings grown under greenhouse conditions will serve as initial material for in vitro cultivation. Genotypes with desirable inherited characteristics will be selected from callus cells obtained from different stevia explants.

The researchers will also investigate direct and stepwise cell-selection approaches to obtain resistant and productive stevia lines. Through the induction of morphogenesis in callus cultures, healthy regenerated plants with improved characteristics will be obtained. Methods for transferring these regenerants to soil and adapting and acclimatizing them to natural growing conditions will subsequently be optimized.

An important part of the study will involve examining the agrobiological and physiological-biochemical characteristics of the resulting breeding lines at different stages of plant development. Productivity, photosynthetic pigments, antioxidants, mineral elements, vitamins, carbohydrates, amino acids and steviol glycoside content will be analyzed. These indicators will help assess the adaptive potential and biological value of the new breeding lines.

Another research direction will focus on the possibility of obtaining polyploid forms of stevia. Colchicine treatment will be investigated under in vitro conditions, while the ploidy level of the resulting plants will be determined through chromosome counting and analysis of nuclear DNA content. This approach may enable the development of new breeding material with enhanced desirable traits.

Field trials will be conducted under the agro-climatic conditions of the Almaty Region at the Al-Farabi KazNU Agrobiological Station. The researchers will assess the effects of fertilizers and biologically active substances on stevia growth and productivity. Clonal propagation and green-cutting techniques will also be used in greenhouse conditions to preserve the stevia collection and produce plant material on a larger scale.

The next stage of the project will focus on developing a technology for producing specialized beverages from processed stevia raw materials with improved functional properties. The beverages will be evaluated in terms of organoleptic, physicochemical, functional and safety characteristics. Their antioxidant properties and key biologically active components will also be studied, while draft regulatory and technical documentation for production will be prepared.

The scientific novelty of the project lies in developing new stevia breeding lines with enhanced adaptive potential that are suitable for cultivation and regionalization in the Almaty Region, as well as creating specialized beverages with improved functional properties based on these lines. This approach will establish a scientific basis for producing plant raw materials adapted to local agro-climatic conditions and expanding stevia cultivation in Kazakhstan.

The research is expected to result in highly productive stevia breeding lines with improved adaptive potential, optimized cultivation and propagation technologies, and a technology for producing stevia biomass and specialized functional beverages. The results will create opportunities to expand stevia cultivation in Kazakhstan, develop domestic natural sugar substitutes and functional food products, and strengthen the country’s scientific capacity in plant biotechnology.

The project will be implemented over 36 months from 2025 to 2027. Its results will be presented through scientific publications, a monograph and a patent, and will provide a basis for developing the regulatory and technical documentation required for the production of specialized stevia-based beverages.