Elite Stevia rebaudiana clones for sustainable tropical highland cultivation: Agronomic traits and glycoside profiles

Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni (Bertoni) is a high-value source of non-caloric sweeteners, yet its genotype-specific performance under tropical highland conditions remains insufficiently documented. Eleven elite stevia clones grown in the tropical highlands of Indonesia were evaluated, integrating agronomic performance with the steviol glycoside profile. A random block design with four replicates was implemented across three harvests. Majalengka exhibited the greatest plant height (45.06 cm) and total biomass (21.32 g plant⁻¹), while Karang Anyar and Garut also exceeded 20 g plant⁻¹, indicating robust vegetative growth. Dry leaf yield ranged from 4.98 to 14.00 g plant⁻¹, with Majalengka, Karang Anyar, and TIA-001A among the highest-yielding genotypes. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) identified Garut as the leading clone in total glycoside content (346.78 mg g⁻¹), with the highest concentrations of stevioside (75.91 mg g⁻¹, 7.59%) and rebaudioside A (26.40 mg g⁻¹, 2.64%). However, its Reb A/stevioside ratio (0.35) was lower than that of TIA-006 (0.74), TIA-003 (0.54), and Karang Anyar (0.52), which exhibited more favorable sweetness profiles. TIA-003 combined high glycoside content (286.58 mg g⁻¹, 28.66%) with environmental stability, despite moderate leaf yield. Pujon and TIA-002A showed consistent glycoside profiles suitable for herbal and blended extract applications, while Karang Anyar demonstrated dual potential for leaf yield and sweetener quality. These findings identify Garut, TIA-003, and Karang Anyar as priority genotypes for glycoside extraction and agro-industrial scaling, while Majalengka and TIA-001A offer biomass advantages for whole-plant utilization. These findings offer genotype-specific insights to guide breeding programs and facilitate agro-industrial deployment in tropical highland stevia systems.