calendar>>March 19. 2010 Juch 99
New Species of Stevia Bred
Pyongyang, March 19 (KCNA) -- Researchers of Pyongyang University of Agriculture have recently succeeded in breeding a new species of stevia.

Stevia, a perennial plant belonging to the Compositae, is very high in sugar content. It, with no adverse effect on human body, is good for diabetes, hypertension, nephritis, digestion and stomach.

The new species almost doubles the existing species common in Korea in the amount of sugar and its taste is also much better.

It, which gives no unnecessary taste but sweet smell, does not change in color and taste when it is mixed with foodstuffs. So it can be used in making cake, bread, cooling drinks and soybean paste and sauce, preparing vegetable food, processing meat and manufacturing medicines.

It grows up to 1.2~1.6 meters in the first year and its leaf is much larger than the exiting species.

It has already begun to be cultivated in different areas of the country.

Copyright (C) KOREA NEWS SERVICE(KNS) All Rights Reserved.