Prof.  Muhammad  Anjum Zia
University of Agriculture, Faisalabad-38040, PAKISTAN

Title: Sustainable Cultivation and Value Addition of Stevia (Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni) for a Greener Future

Abstract:

Stevia (Stevia rebaudianaBertoni), a natural zero-calorie sweetener, offers a sustainable alternative to conventional sugar crops, aligning with global efforts to promote health and environmental sustainability. The present study focuses on optimizing stevia cultivation practices and developing value-added products to enhance its commercial potential. The pot trials were conducted under varying agronomic conditions to evaluate the impact of nitrogen fertilization. Two salinity (0, 100 mM NaCl) levels and four nitrogen treatment levels (0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3 g N kg-1soil) were applied to analyse the impact on physiological parameters. Three replications of this pot trial were conducted using a completely randomized design (CRD). The results indicated that nitrogen (0.2 g N kg-1) considerably reduced H2O2and MDA while enhancing carotenoids, chlorophylla, b,a/band antioxidants (CAT, SOD, and POD) to significantly inhibit the negative effects of salt stress. Therefore, moderate nitrogen application can enhance photosynthetic pigments and antioxidant activities thereby, alleviating the toxicity of salt stress in stevia. Therefore, field use of moderate levels of nitrogen is suggested to combat salinity in plants. The integration of sustainable cultivation and product diversification not only enhances farmers’ income but also supports climate-resilient agriculture and the development of eco-friendly nutraceuticals. The findings underscore the potential of stevia as a high-value crop contributing to both economic and environmental sustainability within agri-food systems.

Keywords:Stevia rebaudiana, sustainable agriculture, natural sweeteners, value addition, functional foods, antioxidants

Biography:

joined University of Agriculture, Faisalabad in 2002 and currently working as

Profesor & Chairperson, Department of Biochemistry, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan.

He served as

Principal, UAF Community College PARS

Principal Officer, Laboratory Schools and Colleges System

Director, Punjab Bioenergy Institute (PBI)

Director, English Access Program

Chief Hall Warden, UAF

Executive Director, Endowment Fund Secretariat, UAF.

He completed Endeavour Fellowship funded Post-Doctorate in 2008 from Australian National University and British funded Post-Doctorate in 2015 from Manchester Metropolitan University.

He has designed various UG, PG courses, BS/MS Curricula and remained focal person and advisor of UG/PG students.

Dr. Zia is working on microbial enhanced production, purification, characterization of enzymes which can be used in healthcare systems. He has supervised 20 PhD, more than 400 MPhil and 200 MSc/BS students.

Dr. Zia has published laboratory manuals, published books & book chapters and very high quality 350 research publications in reputable journals.

He published ~250 abstracts in conefrences and activley participated in around 600 conferences or workshops around the world. He also organzied more than 300 conferences, scientific and social events.