College of Agriculture, University of Diyala discussed a master dissertation on the effect of nano- and regular iron sources and sucrose concentration on stevia plant branch multiplication and its stevioside content in vitro by the postgraduate student, Mr. Rajin Suleiman Hassan.

The dissertation reviewed effect of sucrose levels on tissue culture growth indicators, their physiological content, and secondary compound production, as well as studying the effect of nano-iron (Fe2O3), magnetic nano-iron (Fe3O4), and chelated iron (Fe-EDTA) on tissue culture growth indicators, their physiological content, and secondary compound production.

The dissertation confirmed that a sucrose concentration of 40 g/L was optimal for most traits, but the interaction with the type of iron determined the extent of the effect, complementary effect between the effects of iron and sucrose on improving physiological traits and secondary compounds, with chelated iron (Fe-EDTA) being the best at enhancing chlorophyll and carbohydrate content.

The dissertation recommended studying the effect of various mineral elements on the growth of tissue cultures and the production of secondary compounds and using sucrose at a concentration of 40 g L-1 in the nutrient medium of stevia plants grown under micropropagation conditions.