Stevia plant having high rebaudioside m content

Abstract

Provided is a stevia plant having at least one of genetic characteristics (1) to (5).

Description

Stevia plant with high rebaudioside M content The present invention relates to a Stevia plant having a high content of useful steviol glycosides such as rebaudioside M, and a screening method thereof. To meet diverse consumer needs, various beverages have been developed and marketed. Sugars such as sucrose are commonly used in beverages for the purpose of imparting sweetness, etc., but excessive intake has been pointed out to have an impact on health. There is an increasing need for lower calorie and natural-derived sweeteners. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a functional sweetener composition containing vitamins, high-intensity sweeteners, and a sweetness-improving composition. Steviol glycosides are known as sweet components contained in Stevia extracts. Stevia extracts are mainly extracted and purified from the leaves of Stevia. Stevia is a perennial Compositae plant native to Paraguay, South America, and its scientific name is Stevia Rebaudiana Bertoni. Since Stevia contains components with a sweetness about 300 times or more that of sugar, it is cultivated to extract this sweet component and use it as a natural sweetener. As steviol glycosides, the presence of various glycosides such as Rebaudioside A (hereinafter, "Rebaudioside" may be abbreviated as "Reb"), RebB, RebC, RebD, RebE, RebM, RebN, etc. has been reported (Patent Document 2). In such a situation, a Stevia plant containing 1.53% of RebM per dry leaf is known (Patent Document 3). WO2007 / 070224WO2010 / 038911WO2021 / 230256 A large amount of RebM cannot be obtained from natural Stevia plants, and efficient acquisition thereof is required. The present invention provides a Stevia plant containing useful steviol glycosides such as RebM at a high content compared to wild-type Stevia species, a method for producing the plant, and a screening method. In one aspect, the present invention provides the following. [1] A Stevia plant having at least one of the following genetic characteristics (1) to (5). (1) Homozygosity or heterozygosity for the allele in which the sequence of the portion corresponding to positions 150 to 151 of SEQ ID NO: 1 is T. (2) Homozygosity or heterozygosity for the allele in which the base at the position corresponding to position 151 of SEQ ID NO: 2 is TAGGTGGTGACACTGTAGC. (3) Homozygosity or heterozygosity for the allele in which the base at the position corresponding to position 151 of SEQ ID NO: 3 is A. (4) Homozygosity or heterozygosity for the allele in which the base at the position corresponding to position 151 of SEQ ID NO: 4 is A. (5) Homozygosity for the allele in which the base at the position corresponding to position 151 of SEQ ID NO: 5 is A. [2] A Stevia plant having at least one of the following chemical characteristics (i) to (v). (i) The content of rebaudioside (Reb) M is 1.8% or more per unit mass of dry leaves. (ii) The difference between the content of RebM and the content of stevioside (ST) per unit mass of dry leaves is 0.9% or more. (iii) The difference between the content of RebM and the content of RebE per unit mass of dry leaves is 1.3% or more. (iv) The ratio RebM / RebN of the content of RebM to the content of RebN per unit mass of dry leaves is 1.52 or more. (v) The ratio RebM / stevioside of the content of RebM to the content of stevioside per unit mass of dry leaves is 1.83 or more. [3] A plant as described in [1] or [2] above, including a Stevia plant subjected to mutagenesis treatment and its progeny plants. [4] Dead tissue or dead cells of the plant as described in any one of [1] to [3] above. [5] Seeds, tissues, dry leaves, tissue cultures or cells of the plant as described in any one of [1] to [3] above. [6] Tissues, tissue cultures or cells as described in [5] above, selected from embryos, meristematic cells, pollen, leaves, roots, root tips, petals, protoplasts, leaf sections and callus. [7] A method for producing a stevia plant as described in any one of [1] to [3] above, comprising the step of crossing the plant as described in any one of [1] to [3] above with a second stevia plant. [8] A method for producing a stevia plant as described in any one of [1] to [3] above, comprising the step of introducing at least one of the following mutations into the genome of the stevia plant. (1) A mutation that changes the sequence of the portion corresponding to positions 150 to 151 of SEQ ID NO: 1 to T. (2) A mutation that changes the base at the position corresponding to position 151 of SEQ ID NO: 2 to TAGGTGGTGACACTGTAGC. (3) A mutation that changes the base at the position corresponding to position 151 of SEQ ID NO: 3 to A. (4) A mutation that changes the base at the position corresponding to position 151 of SEQ ID NO: 4 to A. (5) A mutation that changes the base at the position corresponding to position 151 of SEQ ID NO: 5 to A. [9] A plant as described in any one of [1] to [3] above, the dead tissue or dead cells as described in [4] above, the seeds, tissues, dry leaves, tissue cultures or cells as described in [5] above, or an extract of the tissues, tissue cultures or cells as described in [6] above.

[0010] A method for producing a steviol glycoside-containing extract, comprising the step of obtaining an extract from a plant as described in any one of [1] to [3] above, the dead tissue or dead cells as described in [4] above, the seeds, tissues, dry leaves, tissue cultures or cells as described in [5] above, or the tissues, tissue cultures or cells as described in [6] above.

[0011] A method for producing steviol glycosides, comprising the step of purifying steviol glycosides from the extract as described in [9] above.

[0012] A step of providing an extract of a plant body according to any one of [1] to [3] above, an extract of a dead tissue or dead cell according to [4] above, an extract of a seed, tissue, dried leaf, tissue culture or cell according to [5] above, an extract of a tissue, tissue culture or cell according to [6] above, or an extract according to [9] above, and A step of adding the extract to a raw material for a food or drink, a sweetener composition, a fragrance or a pharmaceutical A method for producing a food or drink, a sweetener composition, a fragrance or a pharmaceutical, comprising:

[0013] A food or drink, a sweetener composition, a fragrance or a pharmaceutical comprising an extract of a plant body according to any one of [1] to [3] above, an extract of a dead tissue or dead cell according to [4] above, an extract of a seed, tissue, dried leaf, tissue culture or cell according to [5] above, an extract of a tissue, tissue culture or cell according to [6] above, or an extract according to [9] above.

[0014] A step of purifying steviol glycoside from the extract according to [9] above, and A step of adding the purified steviol glycoside to a raw material for a food or drink, a sweetener composition, a fragrance or a pharmaceutical A method for producing a food or drink, a sweetener composition, a fragrance or a pharmaceutical, comprising:

[0015] A method for screening a stevia plant body having at least one of the chemical characteristics (i) to (v) according to [2] above, the method comprising a step of detecting the presence and / or absence of at least one of the genetic characteristics (1) to (5) according to [1] above from a test stevia plant body.

[0016] A screening kit for a stevia plant body having at least one of the chemical characteristics (i) to (v) according to [2] above, the kit comprising a reagent for detecting the presence and / or absence of at least one of the genetic characteristics (1) to (5) according to [1] above. According to the present invention, it becomes possible to obtain a stevia plant body containing more useful steviol glycosides, provide means for creating such a plant body, provide leaves obtained from such a plant body, and provide foods, beverages, etc. containing useful steviol glycosides obtained from this leaf. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the position of the mutation related to the genetic characteristic (1) in the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1. The left side of the slash within the parentheses is the wild-type sequence, and the right side is the mutant sequence. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the position of the mutation related to the genetic characteristic (2) in the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 2. The left side of the slash within the parentheses is the wild-type sequence, and the right side is the mutant sequence. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the position of the mutation related to the genetic characteristic (3) in the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 3. The left side of the slash within the parentheses is the wild-type sequence, and the right side is the mutant sequence. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the position of the mutation related to the genetic characteristic (4) in the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 4. The left side of the slash within the parentheses is the wild-type sequence, and the right side is the mutant sequence. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the position of the mutation related to the genetic characteristic (5) in the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 5. The left side of the slash within the parentheses is the wild-type sequence, and the right side is the mutant sequence. FIG. 6 shows the result of analyzing whether the stevia plant body has the genetic characteristics (2'), (4'), or (5). Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail. The following embodiments are examples for explaining the present invention, and the present invention is not intended to be limited only to such embodiments. The present invention can be implemented in various forms without departing from the gist thereof. All documents, published gazettes, patent gazettes, and other patent documents cited in this specification are hereby incorporated by reference into this specification. Further, this specification includes the contents described in the specification and drawings of the Japanese patent application (Japanese Patent Application No. 2023-204266) that is the basis for claiming the priority of this application filed on December 1, 2023. 1. Plant body of the present invention 1-1. Stevia plant body having at least one of the genetic characteristics (1) to (5) In one aspect, the present invention provides a stevia plant body (hereinafter, may be referred to as "plant body A of the present invention" or "stevia plant body A of the present invention") having at least one of the following genetic characteristics (1) to (5). Homozygosity or heterozygosity for the allele in which the sequence of the portion corresponding to positions 150 to 151 of SEQ ID NO: 1 is T. Homozygosity or heterozygosity for the allele in which the base at the position corresponding to position 151 of SEQ ID NO: 2 is TAGGTGGTGACACTGTAGC. Homozygosity or heterozygosity for the allele in which the base at the position corresponding to position 151 of SEQ ID NO: 3 is A. Homozygosity or heterozygosity for the allele in which the base at the position corresponding to position 151 of SEQ ID NO: 4 is A. Homozygosity for the allele in which the base at the position corresponding to position 151 of SEQ ID NO: 5 is A. In a preferred embodiment, the genetic characteristics (1) to (4) are heterozygous as follows. Heterozygosity for the allele in which the sequence of the portion corresponding to positions 150 to 151 of SEQ ID NO: 1 is T. Heterozygosity for the allele in which the base at the position corresponding to position 151 of SEQ ID NO: 2 is TAGGTGGTGACACTGTAGC. Heterozygosity for the allele in which the base at the position corresponding to position 151 of SEQ ID NO: 3 is A. Heterozygosity for the allele in which the base at the position corresponding to position 151 of SEQ ID NO: 4 is A. The "position / portion corresponding to ~" means, when the same sequence as the reference sequence (for example, SEQ ID NOs: 1 to 5, etc.) exists in the genome, the position / portion in that sequence existing in the genome (for example, positions 150 to 151, position 151, etc.), and when the same sequence as the reference sequence does not exist in the genome, it means the position / portion in the sequence corresponding to the reference sequence in the genome that corresponds to the position / portion in the reference sequence. Whether the same or corresponding sequence to the reference sequence exists in the genome can be determined, for example, by amplifying the genomic DNA of the target Stevia plant with primers capable of amplifying the reference sequence by PCR, performing sequencing of the amplification product, and performing alignment analysis of the obtained sequence and the reference sequence. Non-limiting examples of the sequence corresponding to the reference sequence include, for example, a nucleotide sequence having 60% or more, 70% or more, 75% or more, 80% or more, 81% or more, 82% or more, 83% or more, 84% or more, 85% or more, 86% or more, 87% or more, 88% or more, 89% or more, 90% or more, 91% or more, 92% or more, 93% or more, 94% or more, 95% or more, 96% or more, 97% or more, 98% or more, 98.1% or more, 98.4% or more, 98.7% or more, 99% or more, 99.2% or more, 99.5% or more, or 99.8% or more sequence identity to the reference sequence. The position / portion in the sequence corresponding to the reference sequence in the genome that corresponds to the position / portion in the reference sequence can be determined in consideration of the nucleotide sequences before and after the position / portion in the reference sequence, etc. For example, the position / portion in the sequence corresponding to the reference sequence in the genome that corresponds to the position / portion in the reference sequence can be determined by alignment analysis of the reference sequence and the sequence corresponding to the reference sequence in the genome. For example, taking the "portion corresponding to positions 150 to 151 of SEQ ID NO: 1" of the genetic characteristic (1) of the present invention as an example, when the genome of the stevia plant has a portion consisting of the same nucleotide sequence as SEQ ID NO: 1, the "portion corresponding to positions 150 to 151 of SEQ ID NO: 1" is positions 150 to 151 from the 5'-side of the portion consisting of the same nucleotide sequence as SEQ ID NO: 1 in the genome. On the other hand, when the genome of the stevia plant does not consist of the same nucleotide sequence as SEQ ID NO: 1 but has a portion consisting of a nucleotide sequence corresponding thereto, since the genome does not have a portion consisting of the same nucleotide sequence as SEQ ID NO: 1, the "portion corresponding to positions 150 to 151 of SEQ ID NO: 1" does not necessarily correspond to positions 150 to 151 from the 5'-side of the portion corresponding to SEQ ID NO: 1. However, considering the nucleotide sequences before and after positions 150 to 151 of SEQ ID NO: 1, etc., the "portion corresponding to positions 150 to 151 of SEQ ID NO: 1" in the genome of such a stevia plant can be identified. For example, the "portion corresponding to positions 150 to 151 of SEQ ID NO: 1" in the genome of the stevia plant can be identified by alignment analysis of the nucleotide sequence of the portion corresponding to SEQ ID NO: 1 in the genome of the stevia plant and the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1. Here, positions selected from the group consisting of (1) the portion corresponding to positions 150 to 151 of SEQ ID NO: 1, (2) the position corresponding to position 151 of SEQ ID NO: 2, (3) the position corresponding to position 151 of SEQ ID NO: 3, (4) the position corresponding to position 151 of SEQ ID NO: 4, and (5) the position corresponding to position 151 of SEQ ID NO: 5 may be collectively referred to as the "polymorphic site of the present invention" or the "mutation site of the present invention". In addition, each of the above positions / portions (1) to (5) may be referred to as "polymorphic site (1)", "polymorphic site (2)", or "mutation site (1)", "mutation site (2)", etc. The "sequence corresponding to the part of SEQ ID NO: 1" means, for example, a part consisting of a nucleotide sequence having a sequence identity of 60% or more, 70% or more, 75% or more, 80% or more, 81% or more, 82% or more, 83% or more, 84% or more, 85% or more, 86% or more, 87% or more, 88% or more, 89% or more, 90% or more, 91% or more, 92% or more, 93% or more, 94% or more, 95% or more, 96% or more, 97% or more, 98% or more, 98.1% or more, 98.4% or more, 98.7% or more, 99% or more, 99.2% or more, 99.5% or more, or 99.8% or more with respect to the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1. In some embodiments, the "part consisting of the nucleotide sequence corresponding to SEQ ID NO: 1" includes a part of the genome of a stevia plant that can be amplified by PCR using a forward primer that hybridizes to the complementary sequence of the part from positions 1 to 149 (i.e., from the 5'-end of SEQ ID NO: 1 to the base on the 5'-side of the 1-base of the mutation site (1)) of SEQ ID NO: 1, and a reverse primer that hybridizes to the part from positions 1 to 150 (i.e., from the 3'-end of SEQ ID NO: 1 to the base on the 3'-side of the 1-base of the mutation site (1)) of SEQ ID NO: 1. Here, for the sake of simplicity, the genetic feature (1) of the present invention has been described as an example, but the same applies to the genetic features (2) to (5) of the present invention. In certain embodiments, the "part consisting of the nucleotide sequence corresponding to SEQ ID NO: 1" includes a part of the genome of a stevia plant that can be amplified by PCR using a forward primer containing the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 6 and a reverse primer containing the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 7. In certain embodiments, the "part consisting of the nucleotide sequence corresponding to SEQ ID NO: 2" includes a part of the genome of a stevia plant that can be amplified by PCR using a forward primer containing the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 8 and a reverse primer containing the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 9. In certain embodiments, the "part consisting of the nucleotide sequence corresponding to SEQ ID NO: 4" includes a part of the genome of a stevia plant that can be amplified by PCR using a forward primer containing the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 10 and a reverse primer containing the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 11. In a specific embodiment, the "portion consisting of the nucleotide sequence corresponding to SEQ ID NO: 5" includes, for example, a portion of the genome of a stevia plant that can be amplified by PCR using a forward primer containing the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 12 and a reverse primer containing the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 13. In a specific embodiment, the "allele in which the sequence of the portion corresponding to positions 150 to 151 of SEQ ID NO: 1 is T" includes the nucleotide sequences of SEQ ID NO: 14, 15, 16, or 17. In a specific embodiment, the "allele in which the base at the position corresponding to position 151 of SEQ ID NO: 2 is TAGGTGGTGACACTGTAGC" includes the nucleotide sequences of SEQ ID NO: 18, 19, 20, or 21. In a specific embodiment, the "allele in which the base at the position corresponding to position 151 of SEQ ID NO: 3 is A" includes the nucleotide sequences of SEQ ID NO: 22, 23, 24, or 25. In a specific embodiment, the "allele in which the base at the position corresponding to position 151 of SEQ ID NO: 4 is A" includes the nucleotide sequences of SEQ ID NO: 26, 27, 28, or 29. In a specific embodiment, the "allele in which the base at the position corresponding to position 151 of SEQ ID NO: 5 is A" includes the nucleotide sequences of SEQ ID NO: 30, 31, 32, or 33. In addition, the mutations selected from the group consisting of (1) the mutation from TG to T in the portion corresponding to positions 150 to 151 of SEQ ID NO: 1, (2) the mutation from T to TAGGTGGTGACACTGTAGC at the position corresponding to position 151 of SEQ ID NO: 2, (3) the mutation from G to A at the position corresponding to position 151 of SEQ ID NO: 3, (4) the mutation from T to A at the position corresponding to position 151 of SEQ ID NO: 4, and (5) the mutation from T to A at the position corresponding to position 151 of SEQ ID NO: 5 may be collectively referred to as "the polymorphism of the present invention" or "the mutation of the present invention". In addition, each of the mutations (1) to (5) above may be referred to as "the polymorphism (1) of the present invention", "the polymorphism (2) of the present invention", or "the mutation (1) of the present invention", "the mutation (2) of the present invention", etc. The above genetic characteristics can be detected by methods such as the PCR method, TaqMan PCR method, sequencing method, microarray method, Invader method, TILLING method, RAD (random amplified polymorphic DNA) method, restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) method, PCR-SSCP method, AFLP (amplified fragment length polymorphism) method, SSLP (simple sequence length polymorphism) method, CAPS (cleaved amplified polymorphic sequence) method, dCAPS (derived cleaved amplified polymorphic sequence) method, allele-specific oligonucleotide (ASO) method, ARMS method, denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) method, CCM (chemical cleavage of mismatch) method, DOL method, MALDI-TOF / MS method, TDI method, padlock probe method, molecular beacon method, DASH (dynamic allele specific hybridization) method, UCAN method, ECA method, PINPOINT method, PROBE (primer oligo base extension) method, VSET (very short extension) method, Survivor assay, Sniper assay, Luminex assay, GOOD method, LCx method, SNaPshot method, MassARRAY method, pyrosequencing method, SNP-IT method, melting curve analysis method, etc., but the detection method is not limited to these. In certain embodiments, the genetic characteristics of the present invention can be detected by the dCAPS method using the following primer sets and combinations of restriction enzymes. When the candidate plant has the mutation (1'), for example, PCR amplification is performed on the genomic DNA of the candidate plant using a forward primer having the nucleotide sequence shown in SEQ ID NO: 34 and a reverse primer having the nucleotide sequence shown in SEQ ID NO: 35. Even if the obtained PCR product (about 144 bp in length, for example, SEQ ID NO: 36) is treated with the restriction enzyme Hyp188I, only a band of about 144 bp in length (for example, SEQ ID NO: 36) is obtained. On the other hand, when the candidate plant does not have the mutation (1'), PCR amplification is performed in the same manner as above. When the obtained PCR product (about 145 bp in length, for example, SEQ ID NO: 37) is treated with the restriction enzyme Hyp188I, a band of about 117 bp in length (for example, SEQ ID NO: 38) and a band of about 28 bp in length (for example, SEQ ID NO: 39) are obtained. Therefore, when a band of about 144 bp in length is observed by the above dCAPS method, it can be determined that the candidate plant has the genetic characteristic (1') of the present invention. When the candidate plant has the mutation (4'), for example, PCR amplification is performed on the genomic DNA of the candidate plant using a forward primer having the nucleotide sequence shown in SEQ ID NO: 40 and a reverse primer having the nucleotide sequence shown in SEQ ID NO: 41. When the obtained PCR product (about 103 bp in length, for example, SEQ ID NO: 42) is treated with the restriction enzyme NdeI, a band of about 78 bp in length (for example, SEQ ID NO: 43) and a band of about 25 bp in length (for example, SEQ ID NO: 44) are obtained. On the other hand, when the candidate plant does not have the mutation (4'), PCR amplification is performed in the same manner as above. Even if the obtained PCR product (about 103 bp in length, for example, SEQ ID NO: 45) is treated with the restriction enzyme NdeI, only a band of about 103 bp in length (for example, SEQ ID NO: 45) is obtained. Therefore, when a band of about 78 bp in length and / or a band of about 25 bp in length derived from the digested product and a band of about 103 bp in length derived from the undigested product are observed by the above dCAPS method, it can be determined that the candidate plant has the genetic characteristic (4') of the present invention. An example of detecting the genetic characteristic (4') by the above method is shown in FIG. 6. When the candidate plant has the mutation (5'), for example, PCR amplification is performed on the genomic DNA of the candidate plant using a forward primer having the nucleotide sequence shown in SEQ ID NO: 46 and a reverse primer having the nucleotide sequence shown in SEQ ID NO: 47. When the obtained PCR product (about 161 bp in length, for example, SEQ ID NO: 48) is treated with the restriction enzyme MfeI, a band of about 130 bp in length (for example, SEQ ID NO: 49) and a band of about 31 bp in length (for example, SEQ ID NO: 50) are obtained. On the other hand, when the candidate plant does not have the mutation (5'), PCR amplification is performed in the same manner as above, and even when the obtained PCR product (about 161 bp in length, for example, SEQ ID NO: 51) is treated with the restriction enzyme MfeI, only a band of about 161 bp in length (for example, SEQ ID NO: 51) is obtained. Therefore, when a band of about 130 bp in length and / or a band of about 31 bp in length derived from the degraded product and a band of about 161 bp in length derived from the non-degraded product are recognized by the above dCAPS method, it can be determined that the plant has the genetic characteristic (5') of the present invention. An example of detecting the genetic characteristic (5') by the above method is shown in FIG. 6. When the candidate plant has the mutation (2'), for example, PCR amplification is performed on the genomic DNA of the candidate plant using a forward primer having the nucleotide sequence shown in SEQ ID NO: 52 and a reverse primer having the nucleotide sequence shown in SEQ ID NO: 53. Then, a PCR product (about 206 bp in length, for example, SEQ ID NO: 54) is obtained. On the other hand, when the candidate plant does not have the mutation (2'), when PCR amplification is performed in the same manner as above, a PCR product (about 188 bp in length, for example, SEQ ID NO: 55) is obtained. Therefore, when bands of about 206 bp in length and about 188 bp in length are recognized, it can be determined that the plant has the genetic characteristic (2') of the present invention. An example of detecting the genetic characteristic (2') by the above method is shown in FIG. 6. In some embodiments, the plant A of the present invention has a higher level of at least one property selected from the RebM content, the ratio of the RebM content to the RebN content (RebM / RebN), the ratio of the RebM content to the ST content (RebM / ST), RebM - ST (the difference between the RebM content and the ST content; the same applies hereinafter), and RebM - RebE, compared to a stevia plant (hereinafter sometimes referred to as a control plant) that does not have the genetic characteristics (1'), (2'), (4'), and (5). "Higher than the control plant" means that, for example, when cultivated under the same cultivation conditions, the content (e.g., content in dry leaves), content ratio, or content difference of the above component is more than that of the control plant, preferably statistically significantly more. More specifically, for example, when cultivated under the same cultivation conditions, the content, content ratio, or content difference of the above component in dry leaves is more than 1 times, about 1.1 times or more, about 1.2 times or more, about 1.3 times or more, about 1.4 times or more, about 1.5 times or more, about 1.6 times or more, about 1.7 times or more, about 1.8 times or more, about 1.9 times or more, about 2 times or more, about 2.1 times or more, about 2.2 times or more, about 2.3 times or more, about 2.4 times or more, about 2.5 times or more, about 2.6 times or more, about 2.7 times or more, about 2.8 times or more, about 2.9 times or more, about 3 times or more, about 3.1 times or more, about 3.2 times or more, about 3.3 times or more, about 3.4 times or more, about 3.5 times or more, about 3.6 times or more, about 3.7 times or more, about 3.8 times or more, about 3.9 times or more, about 4 times or more, about 4.1 times or more, about 4.2 times or more, about 4.3 times or more, about 4.4 times or more, about 4.5 times or more, about 4.6 times or more, about 4.7 times or more, about 4.8 times or more, about 4.9 times or more, about 5 times or more, about 6 times or more, about 7 times or more, about 8 times or more, about 9 times or more, about 10 times or more, about 15 times or more, about 20 times or more, about 25 times or more, about 30 times or more, about 35 times or more, about 40 times or more, about 45 times or more, about 50 times or more, about 55 times or more, about 60 times or more, about 65 times or more, about 70 times or more, about 75 times or more, about 80 times or more, about 85 times or more, about 90 times or more, about 95 times or more, or about 100 times or more of the content, content ratio, or content difference in the control plant. Also, for example, when the content, content ratio, or content difference of the above component in dry leaves in the population of plant A of the present invention and the content, content ratio, or content difference of the above component in dry leaves in the population of the control plant are tested by Welch's t-test, it means that the average value of the former is greater than the average value of the latter, and the P-value of the two-sided test is less than 0.05, preferably less than 0.01, particularly preferably less than 0.005. The content etc. to be compared may be the average value of a plurality of individuals. Total Steviol Glycoside (TSG) is a general term for measurable steviol glycosides and does not include unknown steviol glycosides or steviol glycosides present in amounts below the detection limit. Preferably, TSG is any combination of two or more selected from the group consisting of RebA, RebB, RebC, RebD, RebE, RebF, RebG, RebI, RebJ, RebK, RebM, RebN, RebO, RebQ, RebR, glucoside A, rubusoside, steviol monoside, steviolbioside, and stevioside. In certain embodiments, TSG consists of RebA, RebB, RebC, RebD, RebE, RebF, RebI, RebJ, RebM, RebN, and stevioside. In some embodiments, the plant body A of the present invention may have a plurality of the above genetic characteristics (1) to (5). In this embodiment, the number of genetic characteristics may be any of 2 to 5 types, that is, 2, 3, 4, or 5 types. In a specific embodiment, the plant body A of the present invention has genetic characteristics (1'), (2'), (4'), and (5). 1-2. Stevia plant bodies having at least one of chemical characteristics (i) to (v) In one embodiment, the present invention provides a Stevia plant body (hereinafter sometimes collectively referred to as "the plant body B of the present invention" or "the Stevia plant body B of the present invention") having at least one of the following chemical characteristics (i) to (v). (i) The content of RebM is 1.8% or more per unit mass of dry leaves. (ii) The difference between the content of RebM and the content of stevioside per unit mass of dry leaves is 0.9% or more. (iii) The difference between the content of RebM and the content of RebE per unit mass of dry leaves is 1.3% or more. (iv) The ratio of the content of RebM to the content of RebN, RebM / RebN, per unit mass of dry leaves is 1.52 or more. (v) The ratio of the content of RebM to the content of stevioside, RebM / steviol, per unit mass of dry leaves is 1.83 or more. In the plant body B of the present invention having the chemical characteristic (i), the content of RebM being 1.8% or more per unit mass of dry leaves means, for example, that in a predetermined mass of dry leaves (for example, 50 mg), RebM is contained at a ratio of 1.8% by mass or more (for example, 0.9 mg or more). The ratio of RebM per unit mass of dry leaves in this embodiment is not limited and may be, for example, 1.8% or more, 1.9% or more, 1.95% or more, 2.0% or more, 2.1% or more, 2.2% or more, 2.3% or more, 2.4% or more, 2.5% or more, etc. The upper limit of the ratio of RebM per unit mass of dry leaves is not particularly limited and may be, for example, 10%, 8%, 7%, 6%, 5%, 4%, 3%, 2.5%, etc. Here, the dry leaves refer to those obtained by drying the fresh leaves of the stevia plant body of the present invention to reduce the water content to 3 to 4% by weight. In the plant body B of the present invention having the chemical characteristic (ii), the difference between the content of RebM and the content of stevioside being 0.9% or more per unit mass of dry leaves means, for example, that the difference between the amount of RebM and the amount of stevioside contained in a predetermined mass of dry leaves (for example, 50 mg) is 0.9% by mass or more. The difference between the content of RebM and the content of stevioside per unit mass of dry leaves in this embodiment is not limited and may be, for example, 0.9% or more, 1.0% or more, 1.1% or more, 1.2% or more, 1.3% or more, 1.4% or more, 1.5% or more, 1.6% or more, 1.7% or more, 1.8% or more, 1.9% or more, 2.0% or more, etc. The upper limit of the difference between the content of RebM and the content of stevioside per unit mass of dry leaves is not particularly limited and may be, for example, 5%, 4%, 3%, 2.5%, 2%, etc. In the plant body B of the present invention having the chemical characteristic (iii), the difference between the RebM content and the RebE content being 1.3% or more per unit mass of the dry leaves means, for example, that the difference between the amount of RebM and the amount of RebE contained in a predetermined mass of dry leaves (for example, 50 mg) is 1.3% by mass or more. The difference between the amount of RebM and the amount of RebE per unit mass of the dry leaves in this embodiment is not limited and may be, for example, 1.3% or more, 1.4% or more, 1.5% or more, 1.6% or more, 1.7% or more, 1.8% or more, 1.9% or more, 2.0% or more, 2.1% or more, 2.2% or more, 2.3% or more, 2.4% or more, etc. The upper limit of the difference between the RebM content and the stevioside content per unit mass of the dry leaves is not particularly limited and may be, for example, 5%, 4%, 3%, 2.5%, 2%, etc. In the plant body B of the present invention having the chemical characteristic (iv), the ratio RebM / RebN of the RebM content to the RebN content being 1.52 or more per unit mass of the dry leaves means, for example, that the ratio of RebM to RebN contained in a predetermined mass of dry leaves (for example, 50 mg) is 1.52 or more. The RebM / RebN per unit mass of the dry leaves in this embodiment is not limited and may be, for example, 1.52 or more, 1.6 or more, 1.7 or more, 1.75 or more, 1.8 or more, 1.83 or more, 1.85 or more, 1.90 or more, 1.95 or more, 2.0 or more, 2.1 or more, etc. The upper limit of the ratio of RebM to RebN per unit mass of the dry leaves is not particularly limited and may be, for example, 20.0, 10.0, 9.0, 8.0, 7.0, 6.0, 5.0, etc. In the plant body B of the present invention having the chemical characteristic (v), the ratio RebM / ST of the content of RebM to the content of stevioside being 1.83 or more per unit mass of dry leaves means, for example, that the ratio of RebM to stevioside contained in a predetermined mass of dry leaves (for example, 50 mg) is 1.83 or more. The RebM / ST per unit mass of dry leaves in this aspect is not limited and may be, for example, 1.83 or more, 1.9 or more, 2.0 or more, 2.1 or more, 2.4 or more, 2.5 or more, 2.8 or more, 3.0 or more, 3.1 or more, 3.3 or more, 3.5 or more, 3.7 or more, 3.9 or more, 4.0 or more, 4.5 or more, 5.0 or more, 5.5 or more, 6.0 or more, etc. The upper limit of the ratio of RebM to stevioside per unit mass of dry leaves is not particularly limited and may be, for example, 20.0, 10.0, 9.0, 8.0, 7.0, 6.0, 5.0, etc. In some aspects, the plant body B of the present invention may have a plurality of the above chemical characteristics. In this aspect, the number of chemical characteristics may be any of 2 to 5 types, that is, 2, 3, 4, or 5 types. In a specific aspect, the present invention provides a stevia plant body (hereinafter sometimes collectively referred to as "the plant body C of the present invention" or "the stevia plant body C of the present invention") having at least one of the genetic characteristics (1) to (5) and at least one of the chemical characteristics (i) to (v). Note that the plant bodies A to C of the present invention may sometimes be collectively referred to as "the plant bodies of the present invention". Steviol glycosides such as RebD, RebE, RebM, and RebN can be extracted in the form of an extract by reacting fresh leaves or dry leaves of the plant body of the present invention with a suitable solvent (an aqueous solvent such as water or an organic solvent such as alcohol, ether, and acetone). For extraction conditions and the like, reference can be made to the methods described in Ohta et al., J. Appl. Glycosci., Vol. 57, No. 3, 199-209 (2010) or WO2010 / 038911, or the methods described in the examples below. Furthermore, for the extract thus obtained, known methods such as a gradient of ethyl acetate or other organic solvents: water, high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), gas chromatography, time-of-flight mass spectrometry (TOF-MS), ultra (high) performance liquid chromatography (UPLC), etc. can be used to purify individual steviol glycosides, such as RebD, RebE, RebM, RebN, etc. The contents of steviol glycosides such as RebD, RebE, RebM, RebN, etc. can be measured by the methods described in the above Ohta et al. or WO2010 / 038911, or the methods described in the examples below. Specifically, for example, fresh leaves can be sampled from the Stevia plants A to C of the present invention and measured by performing LC-MS / MS or the like. The plant body of the present invention may be obtained by a recombinant technique or its progeny (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "recombinant plant body"), or may be obtained by a non-recombinant technique or its progeny (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "non-recombinant plant body"). Examples of "non-recombinant techniques" include crossing, self-propagation, etc., and in addition, methods of inducing mutations in the genes of host cells (or host plant bodies) without introducing foreign genes. Such methods include methods of acting a mutagen on plant cells. Examples of such mutagens include ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS) and sodium azide. For example, EMS can treat plant cells at concentrations such as 0.1%, 0.2%, 0.3%, 0.4%, 0.5%, 0.6%, 0.7%, 0.8%, 0.9%, 1.0%. The treatment time is 1 to 48 hours, 2 to 36 hours, 3 to 30 hours, 4 to 28 hours, 5 to 26 hours, 6 to 24 hours. The procedure of the treatment itself is known, but for example, it can be carried out by immersing the imbibed seeds that have undergone the water absorption process in a treatment solution containing a mutagen at the above concentration for the above treatment time. Alternatively, as an example of a non-genetic recombination technique, a method of irradiating plant cells with radiation or light such as X-rays, γ-rays, ion beams (e.g., heavy ion beams), and ultraviolet rays can also be used. In this case, for example, after culturing the irradiated cells using an appropriate irradiation dose of ultraviolet rays (ultraviolet lamp intensity, distance, time) in a selection medium or the like, cells, calli, and plants having the target trait can be selected. The irradiation intensity at that time is 0.01 to 100 Gr, 0.03 to 75 Gr, 0.05 to 50 Gr, 0.07 to 25 Gr, 0.09 to 20 Gr, 0.1 to 15 Gr, 0.1 to 10 Gr, 0.5 to 10 Gr, 1 to 10 Gr, the irradiation distance is 1 cm to 200 m, 5 cm to 100 m, 7 cm to 75 m, 9 cm to 50 m, 10 cm to 30 m, 10 cm to 20 m, 10 cm to 10 m, and the irradiation time is 1 minute to 2 years, 2 minutes to 1 year, 3 minutes to 0.5 year, 4 minutes to 1 month, 5 minutes to 2 weeks, 10 minutes to 1 week. The intensity, distance, and time of irradiation vary depending on the type of radiation and the state to be irradiated (cells, calli, plants), but those skilled in the art can appropriately adjust them. In addition, techniques such as cell fusion, haploid culture, and distant hybridization (haploid culture) are also known. Generally, since plant cells may undergo mutations during culture, it is preferable to return them to plant individuals for more stable trait maintenance. Plants obtained by subsequently performing genetic recombination (e.g., by genome editing or the like) using the plant of the present invention as a host (for example, plants obtained by performing genetic recombination using the plant of the present invention as a host and adding another trait) are also not excluded from the scope of the present invention. The plant of the present invention includes not only the whole plant but also its parts or derivatives. Therefore, the plant of the present invention may include plant organs (e.g., leaves, petals, stems, roots, seeds, etc.), plant tissues (e.g., epidermis, phloem, parenchyma, xylem, vascular bundles, palisade tissue, spongy tissue, etc.), or various forms of plant cells (e.g., suspension-cultured cells), protoplasts, leaf sections, calli, etc. In addition, the plant body of the present invention may also include tissue cultures or plant cultured cells. This is because a plant body can be regenerated by culturing such tissue cultures or plant cultured cells. Examples of the renewable forms of the plant body of the present invention include, but are not limited to, embryos, meristematic tissue cells, pollen, leaves, roots, root tips, petals, protoplasts, leaf sections, and callus. 2. Method for producing the plant body of the present invention In another embodiment, the present invention provides a method for producing a stevia plant body of the present invention (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "Production Method A of the present invention") including the step of crossing the stevia plant body of the present invention with a second stevia plant body. The stevia plant body produced by this method may have the same phenotype and genetic characteristics as the plant body of the present invention. The ranges of the contents and mass ratios of the respective components in the plant body obtained by Production Method A of the present invention, the combinations of the respective characteristics (chemical characteristics and / or genetic characteristics), etc. are as described above for the plant body of the present invention. In Production Method A of the present invention, "crossing" means obtaining a progeny plant body (a plant body produced by the production method of the present invention (second generation (S2))) by mating any one of the plant bodies of the present invention (first generation (S1)) with a second plant body (S1). As the crossing method, backcrossing is preferred. "Backcrossing" is a technique, for example, of crossing a progeny plant body (S2) born between the plant body of the present invention and a second plant body with the plant body of the present invention (that is, a plant body having the genetic characteristics of the present invention) (S1) to produce a plant body having the genetic characteristics of the present invention. When the second plant body (S1) used in the production method of the present invention has the same phenotype and genetic characteristics as the plant body of the present invention, it is substantially a backcross. Crossing is preferably performed over two or more generations, but in the case where the genetic characteristics are heterozygous, etc., a plant body having a desired combination of genetic characteristics may be obtained in one generation. Alternatively, the plant body of the present invention can also be produced by self-propagation. Self-propagation can be carried out by self-pollinating the pistil of the plant body of the present invention with the pollen of the stamen of the plant body of the present invention. Since the plant body produced by the production method of the present invention has the same phenotype and genetic characteristics as the plant body of the present invention, it is also possible to produce a stevia plant body having a phenotype equivalent to that of the plant body of the present invention by further crossing the plant body produced by the production method of the present invention with a third stevia plant body. As another aspect, the plant body of the present invention can also be produced by regenerating a plant body by culturing the above-described tissue culture or plant culture cells. The culture conditions are the same as those for culturing tissue cultures or plant culture cells of wild-type stevia plants and are well known (Protocols for In Vitro cultures and secondary metabolite analysis of aromatic and medicinal plants, Method in molecular biology, vol. 1391, pp113-123). As yet another aspect, the plant body of the present invention can also be produced by introducing the mutation of the present invention into the genome of a stevia plant body. Therefore, the present invention provides a method for producing the stevia plant body of the present invention (hereinafter, may be referred to as "production method B of the present invention") including a step of introducing at least one of the following mutations into the genome of a stevia plant body. (1) A mutation that changes the sequence of the portion corresponding to positions 150 to 151 of SEQ ID NO: 1 to T. (2) A mutation that changes the base at the position corresponding to position 151 of SEQ ID NO: 2 to TAGGTGGTGACACTGTAGC. (3) A mutation that changes the base at the position corresponding to position 151 of SEQ ID NO: 3 to A. (4) A mutation that changes the base at the position corresponding to position 151 of SEQ ID NO: 4 to A. (5) A mutation that changes the base at the position corresponding to position 151 of SEQ ID NO: 5 to A. The introduction of the mutation may be performed by a genetic recombination technique or a non-genetic recombination technique. Examples of genetic recombination techniques include methods for introducing a desired mutation into the genome of a host cell (or host plant body) by genome editing or the like. The non-genetic recombination technique is as described above for the plant body of the present invention. 3. Screening method for plants of the present invention Plants of the present invention and plants having the same phenotype and / or genetic characteristics as the plants of the present invention can be screened by detecting the genetic characteristics of the present invention from tissues of the plants. Here, "screening" means distinguishing plants of the present invention from other plants and selecting plants of the present invention. Therefore, in another aspect, the present invention provides a method for screening a stevia plant having at least one of the chemical characteristics (i) to (v), which includes a step of detecting the presence and / or absence of at least one of the genetic characteristics (1) to (5) from a test stevia plant (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "the screening method of the present invention"). The screening method of the present invention may further include a step of selecting, from the test plants, plants in which the presence of at least one of the above genetic characteristics is detected. The presence of the genetic characteristics of the present invention is, for example, (I) the presence of an allele in which the sequence of the portion corresponding to positions 150 to 151 of SEQ ID NO: 1 is T (for example, an allele containing the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 14, 15, 16 or 17, hereinafter sometimes referred to as "allele i"), (II) the presence of an allele in which the base at the position corresponding to position 151 of SEQ ID NO: 2 is TAGGTGGTGACACTGTAGC (for example, an allele containing the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 18, 19, 20 or 21, hereinafter sometimes referred to as "allele ii"), (III) the presence of an allele in which the base at the position corresponding to position 151 of SEQ ID NO: 3 is A (for example, an allele containing the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 22, 23, 24 or 25, hereinafter sometimes referred to as "allele iii"), (IV) the presence of an allele in which the base at the position corresponding to position 151 of SEQ ID NO: 4 is A (for example, an allele containing the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 26, 27, 28 or 29, hereinafter sometimes referred to as "allele iv"), and / or Absence of an allele other than the allele in which the base at the position corresponding to position 151 of SEQ ID NO: 5 is A (for example, an allele containing the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 30, 31, 32, or 33, hereinafter sometimes referred to as "allele v"). It can be determined by detection of . The absence of the genetic characteristic of the present invention can be detected, for example, (i) absence of allele i, (ii) absence of allele ii, (iii) absence of allele iii, (iv) absence of allele iv, and / or (v) presence of an allele other than allele v It can be determined by detection of . Specific examples of the method for detecting the genetic characteristic of the present invention include, but are not limited to, PCR method, TaqMan PCR method, sequencing method, microarray method, Invader method, TILLING method, RAD method, RFLP method, PCR-SSCP method, AFLP method, SSLP method, CAPS method, dCAPS method, ASO method, ARMS method, DGGE method, CCM method, DOL method, MALDI-TOF / MS method, TDI method, padlock probe method, molecular beacon method, DASH method, UCAN method, ECA method, PINPOINT method, PROBE method, VSET method, Survivor assay, Sniper assay, Luminex assay, GOOD method, LCx method, SNaPshot method, MassARRAY method, pyrosequencing method, SNP-IT method, melting curve analysis method, etc. In one aspect, the genetic characteristic (1) of the present invention can be detected by, for example, the dCAPS method using the following primer set and restriction enzyme. - Primer set: A primer set comprising a forward primer containing a continuous sequence of 15 to 25 bases in length from the 3'-end of SEQ ID NO: 34, and a reverse primer containing a sequence complementary to any continuous sequence of 15 bases or more located 3'-side from the 26th position of SEQ ID NO: 36 or 37 (for example, SEQ ID NO: 35). - Restriction enzyme: Hyp188I or its isoschizomer In one aspect, the genetic trait (4) of the present invention can be detected, for example, by the dCAPS method using the following primer set and restriction enzyme. - Primer set: A primer set comprising a forward primer containing any continuous sequence of 15 bases or more located 5' to the 78th position of SEQ ID NO: 42 or 45 (for example, SEQ ID NO: 40), and a reverse primer containing a continuous sequence of 15 to 25 bases in length starting from the 3' end of SEQ ID NO: 41. - Restriction enzyme: NdeI or its isoschizomer In one aspect, the genetic trait (5) of the present invention can be detected, for example, by the dCAPS method using the following primer set and restriction enzyme. - Primer set: A primer set comprising a forward primer containing a continuous sequence of 15 to 28 bases in length starting from the 3' end of SEQ ID NO: 46, and a reverse primer containing a sequence complementary to any continuous sequence of 15 bases or more located 3' to the 29th position of SEQ ID NO: 48 or 51 (for example, SEQ ID NO: 47). - Restriction enzyme: MfeI or its isoschizomer In one aspect, the genetic trait (2) of the present invention can be detected, for example, using the following primer set. - Primer set: A primer set comprising a forward primer containing a continuous sequence of 15 to 25 bases in length starting from the 3' end of SEQ ID NO: 52, and a reverse primer containing a sequence complementary to any continuous sequence of 15 bases or more located 3' to the 26th position of SEQ ID NO: 54 or 55 (for example, SEQ ID NO: 53). The primer sequences can be optimized within the range that satisfies the above conditions. For optimization of primer design, refer to, for example, Sambrook and Russell, ”Molecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual” 3rd Edition (2001), Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, etc. Each of the above primers may have a length of 15 to 50 bases, 18 to 48 bases, 20 to 45 bases, 30 to 40 bases, etc. Also, based on the genetic characteristics of the present invention, it is also possible to design primer sets other than the above and select corresponding restriction enzymes. In a specific embodiment, the genetic characteristics (1), (4) or (5) of the present invention can be detected by, for example, the dCAPS method using a primer set having the following sequences and a restriction enzyme. Note that the combination of the above primer set and restriction enzyme is only an example, and those skilled in the art can find other combinations of primer sets and restriction enzymes that can detect the genetic characteristics of the present invention. The screening method of the present invention may further include a step of measuring the contents of RebM, stevioside, RebE and / or RebN in the tissue (for example, leaves) of the test stevia plant in which at least one of the genetic characteristics (1) to (5) of the present invention is detected. The measurement of the contents of RebM, stevioside, RebE and / or RebN is as described in the section of the plant body of the present invention. Also, in this embodiment, among the test stevia plants in which at least one of the genetic characteristics (1) to (5) of the present invention is detected, individuals with a high content of RebM, the difference between the content of RebM and the content of stevioside, the difference between the content of RebM and the content of RebE, the ratio of the content of RebM to the content of RebN, and / or the ratio of the content of RebM to the content of stevioside are selected, and these are crossed with other stevia plants, and the screening method of the present invention may be applied to the obtained progeny plants. Therefore, the screening method of the present invention may include one or more of the following steps. (i) A step of detecting at least one of the genetic characteristics (1) to (5) of the present invention from the genome of the test stevia plant; (ii) A step of measuring the contents of RebM, stevioside, RebE and / or RebN in the test stevia plant tissue in which at least one of the genetic characteristics (1) to (5) of the present invention is detected; (iii) Among the test stevia plants in which at least one of the genetic characteristics (1) to (5) of the present invention is detected, the RebM content, the difference between the RebM content and the stevioside content, the difference between the RebM content and the RebE content, the ratio of the RebM content to the RebN content, and / or the ratio of the RebM content to the stevioside content. A step of selecting individuals with high ratios; (iv) A step of crossing an individual with a high RebM content, the difference between the RebM content and the stevioside content, the difference between the RebM content and the RebE content, the ratio of the RebM content to the RebN content, and / or the ratio of the RebM content to the stevioside content selected with other stevia plants; (v) A step of detecting at least one of the genetic characteristics (1) to (5) of the present invention from the genome of the progeny plants obtained by crossing; (vi) A step of measuring the contents of RebM, stevioside, RebE and / or RebN in the progeny plant tissue in which at least one of the genetic characteristics (1) to (5) of the present invention is detected; (vii) Among the progeny plants in which at least one of the genetic characteristics (1) to (5) of the present invention is detected, the RebM content, the difference between the RebM content and the stevioside content, the difference between the RebM content and the RebE content, the ratio of the RebM content to the RebN content, and / or the ratio of the RebM content to the stevioside content. A step of selecting individuals with high ratios. Individuals with high RebM content, the difference between the RebM content and the stevioside content, the difference between the RebM content and the RebE content, the ratio of the RebM content to the RebN content, and / or the ratio of the RebM content to the stevioside content may be, for example, among the test stevia plants in which at least one of the genetic characteristics (1) to (5) of the present invention is detected, up to the top 50%, up to the top 40%, up to the top 30%, up to the top 20%, up to the top 10%, up to the top 5%, up to the top 4%, up to the top 3%, up to the top 2%, or up to the top 1% in terms of the height of individuals with high RebM content, the difference between the RebM content and the stevioside content, the difference between the RebM content and the RebE content, the ratio of the RebM content to the RebN content, and / or the ratio of the RebM content to the stevioside content. Also, the other stevia plants to be crossed may or may not contain the genetic characteristics (1) to (5) of the present invention. In the above aspect, steps (iv) to (vii) can be repeated multiple times. In this way, individuals with high RebM content, the difference between the RebM content and the stevioside content, the difference between the RebM content and the RebE content, the ratio of the RebM content to the RebN content, and / or the ratio of the RebM content to the stevioside content can be screened for taller stevia plants. In the screening method of the present invention, the test stevia plant may be a natural plant or a non-genetically modified plant. For non-genetically modified plants, it is as described in the section on plants of the present invention. In the screening method of the present invention, the test stevia plant may include stevia plants subjected to mutagenesis treatment and their progeny plants. The induction of mutations is as described in the section on plants of the present invention and includes treatment with mutagenic agents, treatment by irradiation with radiation or light, etc. The present invention also provides the primer sets and their combinations described above, for example, the primer sets described in Table 1 above, and combinations of these primer sets. The present invention further provides primer sets capable of amplifying a region having a base sequence selected from SEQ ID NOs: 14 to 33 and 56 to 70 by PCR, for example, a primer set comprising a forward primer containing the base sequence of SEQ ID NO: 6 and a reverse primer containing the base sequence of SEQ ID NO: 7, a primer set comprising a forward primer containing the base sequence of SEQ ID NO: 8 and a reverse primer containing the base sequence of SEQ ID NO: 9, a primer set comprising a forward primer containing the base sequence of SEQ ID NO: 10 and a reverse primer containing the base sequence of SEQ ID NO: 11, a primer set comprising a forward primer containing the base sequence of SEQ ID NO: 12 and a reverse primer containing the base sequence of SEQ ID NO: 13, and the like. Furthermore, the present invention provides a probe capable of detecting the presence and / or absence of the genetic characteristics of the present invention (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "the probe of the present invention"). The probe of the present invention may have a structure suitable for various detection methods for the presence and / or absence of the genetic characteristics of the present invention (for example, real-time PCR methods such as TaqMan PCR method). For example, the probe of the present invention may include a nucleotide sequence complementary to a portion of the genome containing the mutation site of the present invention. Non-limiting examples of such probes include those containing a sequence complementary to the nucleotide sequence selected from SEQ ID NOs: 14-16, 18-20, 22-24, 26-28, 30-32, 56-70. Among these sequences, SEQ ID NOs: 14-16, 18-20, 22-24, 26-28, 30-32 are specific to the alleles containing the mutation of the present invention, and SEQ ID NOs: 56-70 are specific to the alleles not containing the mutation of the present invention. The presence of the genetic characteristics of the present invention can be detected by detecting both the allele containing the mutation of the present invention and the allele not containing the mutation of the present invention, and the absence of the genetic characteristics of the present invention can be detected by detecting only the allele containing the mutation of the present invention or only the allele not containing the mutation of the present invention. The probe of the present invention preferably has a label. Non-limiting examples of such labels include fluorescent labels, luminescent labels, radioactive labels, dyes, enzymes, quenchers, binding moieties to detectable labels, etc. In a specific embodiment, the probe of the present invention has a polynucleotide containing a nucleotide sequence complementary to the nucleotide sequence selected from SEQ ID NOs: 14-16, 18-20, 22-24, 26-28, 30-32, 56-70, and a label. The present invention further provides a kit comprising the above primer set and a restriction enzyme corresponding thereto. In a specific embodiment, the kit of the present invention comprises the primer set described in Table 1 above and a restriction enzyme corresponding thereto. The present invention also provides a kit comprising a primer set capable of amplifying by PCR a region having a nucleotide sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 14-33 and 56-70 described above, and the above probe of the present invention corresponding thereto. These primer sets, probes, and kits can be used to detect the genetic characteristics (1) to (5) of the present invention, can be used in the screening method of the present invention, etc. Furthermore, these primer sets and kits may contain instructions including explanations regarding the detection of the genetic characteristics (1) to (5) of the present invention or the screening method of the present invention, such as instruction manuals, site information including information on the method of use (e.g., URL, two-dimensional code), media on which information on the method of use is recorded (e.g., flexible disk, CD, DVD, Blu-ray disk, memory card, USB memory), etc. In some embodiments, the present invention provides a screening kit for the Stevia plant of the present invention, comprising a reagent for detecting the presence and / or absence of at least one of the genetic features (1) to (5). The reagent may comprise a primer and / or a probe for use in the CAPS method, the dCAPS method, or the TaqMan PCR method. In a particular embodiment, the reagent for detecting the presence and / or absence of at least one of the genetic features (1) to (5) comprises a combination of a primer set and a restriction enzyme for detecting at least one of the above genetic features (1) to (5) by the dCAPS method, for example, a combination of a primer set and a restriction enzyme as set forth in Table 1, or a combination of a primer set for amplifying a mutation site of the present invention (e.g., a site comprising a sequence selected from SEQ ID NOs: 14 to 33) and a probe having a nucleotide sequence complementary to a site relating to at least one of the genetic features (1) to (5) (e.g., a site comprising a sequence selected from SEQ ID NOs: 14 to 16, 18 to 20, 22 to 24, 26 to 28, 30 to 32), which can be used in the TaqMan PCR method or the like. 4. Dead tissue or dead cells of the present invention In a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a tissue or cell of a stevia plant body of the present invention, a stevia plant body selected by the screening method of the present invention, or a stevia plant body produced by the production method of the present invention, which is dead (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "the dead tissue or dead cell of the present invention"). "Dead" means a state without the ability to reproduce, proliferate, regenerate, and grow, including cases of natural death without artificial operation and cases of death by artificial operations such as cutting, crushing, heating (including heating through a gas such as air, heating through a liquid such as water, and heating through a vapor such as steam), freezing, drying, freeze-drying, etc. Dead tissue means a tissue in which all the contained cells are dead, including a dead plant body (a plant body in which all the contained cells are dead). Specific examples of the dead tissue or dead cell of the present invention include tissues or cells other than seeds that are dead. More specifically, examples include embryos, meristematic tissue cells, pollen, leaves, roots, root tips, petals, protoplasts, leaf sections, or calli that are dead. Preferably, dry leaves are included. The dead tissue or dead cell of the present invention can be used as a raw material for extracts, steviol glycosides, pharmaceuticals, fragrances, foods and beverages, etc. to be described later. 5. Method for producing an extract derived from a plant body and products using the extract In a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for producing an extract containing steviol glycosides (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "the method for producing an extract of the present invention"), which includes a step of obtaining an extract from a plant body of the present invention, a stevia plant body selected by the screening method of the present invention, or a stevia plant body produced by the production method of the present invention, or a dead tissue or dead cell of the plant body, a seed of the plant body, a leaf (e.g., a dry leaf or a fresh leaf), a tissue, a tissue culture, or a cell. Furthermore, there is provided a plant body of the present invention, a stevia plant body selected by the screening method of the present invention or a stevia plant body produced by the production method of the present invention, seeds, leaves (e.g., dried leaves or fresh leaves), tissues, tissue cultures or cells of the plant body, or an extract containing steviol glycosides from the dead tissues or dead cells of the present invention (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "the extract of the present invention"). The extract of the present invention is preferably one produced by the production method of the extract of the present invention. Furthermore, there is provided a method for producing steviol glycosides (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "the method for producing steviol glycosides of the present invention") including a step of purifying steviol glycosides from the extract of the present invention. The method for producing steviol glycosides of the present invention may further include a step of obtaining an extract containing steviol glycosides from the plant body of the present invention, a stevia plant body selected by the screening method of the present invention or a stevia plant body produced by the production method of the present invention, or the dead tissues or dead cells of the present invention. The extract containing steviol glycosides can be obtained, for example, by reacting fresh leaves or dried leaves of the plant body of the present invention with a suitable solvent (an aqueous solvent such as water or an organic solvent such as alcohol, ether, and acetone). For extraction conditions and the like, reference can be made to the methods described in Ohta et al. or WO2010 / 038911, or the methods described in the examples below. In addition, the steviol glycosides can be purified by using known methods such as gradient chromatography of ethyl acetate or other organic solvents: water, chromatography (e.g., High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC), Ultra (High) Performance Liquid Chromatography (UPLC), gas chromatography, etc.), and Time-of-Flight mass spectrometry (TOF-MS). The types of steviol glycosides are not particularly limited and include RebA, RebB, RebC, RebD, RebE, RebF, RebG, RebI, RebJ, RebK, RebM, RebN, RebO, RebQ, RebR, dulcoside A, rubusoside, steviol monoside, steviolbioside, stevioside, etc. In a preferred embodiment, the steviol glycoside contains RebD, RebE, RebM, RebN, stevioside or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, the extract of the present invention has a higher RebM content, the difference between the content of RebM and the content of stevioside, the difference between the content of RebM and the content of RebE, the ratio of the content of RebM to the content of RebN, and / or the ratio of the content of RebM to the content of stevioside, compared to a stevia species that does not have any of the genetic characteristics (2'), (4') and (5) of the present invention. The extract of the present invention has a RebM content, the difference between the content of RebM and the content of stevioside, the difference between the content of RebM and the content of RebE, the ratio of the content of RebM to the content of RebN, and / or the ratio of the content of RebM to the content of stevioside that is about 50% or more, about 100% or more, about 150% or more, about 200% or more, about 250% or more, about 300% or more, about 350% or more, about 400% or more, about 450% or more, about 500% or more, about 550% or more, about 600% or more, about 650% or more, about 700% or more, about 750% or more, about 800% or more, about 850% or more, about 900% or more, about 950% or more, about 1000% or more, about 1050% or more, about 1100% or more, about 1150% or more, about 1200% or more, about 1250% or more, about 1300% or more, about 1350% or more, about 1400% or more, about 1450% or more, about 1500% or more, about 1550% or more, about 1600% or more, about 1650% or more, about 1700% or more, about 1750% or more, about 1800% or more, about 1850% or more, about 1900% or more, about 1950% or more, about 2000% or more, about 2050% or more, about 2100% or more higher than the extract obtained from a stevia plant that does not have any of the genetic characteristics (2'), (4') and (5) of the present invention. Here, the extract of the present invention and the extract obtained from a stevia plant that does not have any of the genetic characteristics (2'), (4') and (5) of the present invention may be obtained by the same method. By mixing the extract of the present invention thus obtained and / or the steviol glycoside obtained by the method for producing the steviol glycoside of the present invention with other components, it is possible to produce a novel food or drink, sweetener composition, flavor or pharmaceutical product with an increased content of steviol glycoside. Therefore, as another embodiment, the present invention provides a method for producing a food or drink, sweetener composition, flavor or pharmaceutical product, which includes a step of mixing the extract of the present invention and / or the steviol glycoside obtained by the method for producing the steviol glycoside of the present invention with other components, such as raw materials for food or drinks, sweeteners, flavors, and pharmaceuticals. Furthermore, the present invention provides a novel food or drink, sweetener composition, flavor or pharmaceutical product with an increased content of steviol glycoside obtained by the above production method. Here, the food or drink includes beverages and foods. Therefore, in one embodiment, the present invention provides a novel beverage, food, sweetener composition, flavor or pharmaceutical product, and also provides a method for producing the beverage, food, sweetener composition, flavor or pharmaceutical product. Furthermore, the present invention provides a method for producing a steviol glycoside-containing composition, which includes a step of mixing the extract of the present invention and / or the steviol glycoside obtained by the method for producing the steviol glycoside of the present invention with other components. Furthermore, the present invention provides a steviol glycoside-containing composition obtained by the above production method, which contains steviol glycoside and other components. The above "other components" may include components that do not exist in the natural stevia plant body and non-natural components. Therefore, the above composition may be a non-natural composition. The composition may be, for example, a pharmaceutical composition, a flavor composition, a beverage composition or a food composition. 6. Base sequence related to the plant body of the present invention In another aspect, the present invention provides a base sequence related to the plant body of the present invention. The base sequence related to a Stevia plant having the genetic characteristic (1) includes, or consists of, a base sequence selected from SEQ ID NOs: 14 to 17. The base sequence related to a Stevia plant having the genetic characteristic (2) includes, or consists of, a base sequence selected from SEQ ID NOs: 18 to 21. The base sequence related to a Stevia plant having the genetic characteristic (3) includes, or consists of, a base sequence selected from SEQ ID NOs: 22 to 25. The base sequence related to a Stevia plant having the genetic characteristic (4) includes, or consists of, a base sequence selected from SEQ ID NOs: 26 to 29. The base sequence related to a Stevia plant having the genetic characteristic (5) includes, or consists of, a base sequence selected from SEQ ID NOs: 30 to 33. Examples of the present invention are described below, but the present invention is not limited to these specific embodiments. [Example 1] Identification of Mutations Related to the High RebM Phenotype The steviol glycoside content of Stevia lines grown at Suntory World Research Center was measured and genomic sequencing was performed. Specifically, 0.25 g of fresh leaves were sampled from each individual of each line, dried by freeze-drying, and 0.05 g of the crushed dry matter was put into 100 times the amount (5 mL) of pure water. After extraction by ultrasonic treatment for 20 minutes, centrifugation and filtration, a solution diluted 60-fold with 32% acetonitrile was used as the sample solution. 1 mL of this sample solution was subjected to LC-MS / MS analysis in the MRM mode of LCMS8050 (Shimadzu) to quantify the concentrations of RebA, RebB, RebC, RebD, RebE, RebF, RebI, RebJ, RebM, RebN, and ST. Furthermore, genomic DNA was extracted from the sampled fresh leaves and sequenced using a sequencer (HiSeq 2500, Illumina). Analysis of the data on the steviol glycoside content revealed a group of lines with a high RebM content (high RebM group). Tables 2 to 3 show the steviol glycoside contents of representative lines of the high RebM group, the low RebM group with a relatively low RebM content, and the medium RebM group with a RebM content lower than that of the high RebM group and higher than that of the low RebM group. Table 4 shows the differences and ratios in the contents of various steviol glycosides. In the table, TSG indicates total steviol glycosides. The numerical values of each steviol glycoside are the weight percentages in the dry leaves, and the numerical value of TSG is the total value of the numerical values of all measured steviol glycosides (i.e., RebA, RebB, RebC, RebD, RebE, RebF, RebI, RebJ, RebM, RebN, and ST). The Welch's t-test (two-sided) was used to evaluate whether there were statistically significant differences in the contents of each steviol glycoside between the high RebM group, the medium RebM group, and the low RebM group. In the high RebM group, the contents of RebI and RebM were significantly higher than those in the medium RebM group and the low RebM group. The ratios of RebM content to RebN content (RebM / RebN) and RebM content to ST content (RebM / ST) were significantly higher. RebM-ST (the difference between RebM content and ST content; the same applies hereinafter) and RebM-RebE were significantly larger, and the contents of RebE and ST were significantly lower (Table 5). Regarding the content of RebM, RebM-ST, and RebM-RebE, there were significant differences even when the Welch's t-test (two-sided) was performed between the high RebM group and the medium RebM group (the table is omitted). In the table, the numerical values are the average values. "+" indicates that P < 0.05, "++" indicates that P < 0.01, and the content in the high RebM group is higher than that in the medium RebM group and the low RebM group. "-" indicates that P < 0.05, "--" indicates that P < 0.01, and the content in the high RebM group is lower than that in the medium RebM group and the low RebM group. "±" indicates that there was no significant difference in the content between the two populations at the significance level of 0.05. When analyzing the differences in genomic sequences among the high RebM line, the medium RebM line, and the low RebM line, the high RebM line tended to have the following genetic characteristics. (1') Heterozygosity for the allele (SEQ ID NO: 17) in which the sequence corresponding to positions 150 to 151 of SEQ ID NO: 1 is T. Heterozygosity for the allele (SEQ ID NO: 21) in which the base at the position corresponding to position 151 of SEQ ID NO: 2 is TAGGTGGTGACACTGTAGC. Heterozygosity for the allele (SEQ ID NO: 25) in which the base at the position corresponding to position 151 of SEQ ID NO: 3 is A. Heterozygosity for the allele (SEQ ID NO: 29) in which the base at the position corresponding to position 151 of SEQ ID NO: 4 is A. Homozygosity for the allele (SEQ ID NO: 33) in which the base at the position corresponding to position 151 of SEQ ID NO: 5 is A. [Example 2] Development of a high RebM individual detection marker In order to improve the efficiency of detecting genetic characteristics specific to the high RebM strain, dCAPS primers for detecting genetic characteristics (1'), (2'), (4'), and (5) were prepared, and it was examined whether the presence or absence of these genetic characteristics in each individual could be detected by the dCAPS method. The following dCAPS primers and restriction enzymes were used. Detection of each genetic characteristic by the dCAPS method was performed as follows. First, genomic DNA was extracted from fresh leaves of each individual tested in Example 1, and PCR was performed using the above dCAPS primers corresponding to each genetic characteristic. The above restriction enzymes corresponding to each genetic characteristic (4'), (5) were added to the PCR product, and an enzymatic reaction was performed at 37°C. Electrophoresis of the restriction enzyme-treated PCR product was performed using a microchip type electrophoresis apparatus LabChip GX Touch HT (PerkinElmer), and the presence or absence of the genetic characteristic was determined based on the obtained band pattern. For genetic characteristics (4') and (5), an individual in which only the band of the degradation product was observed was determined as 〇, an individual in which only the band of the non-degradation product was observed was determined as ×, and an individual in which both the bands of the degradation product and the non-degradation product were observed was determined as △. For genetic characteristic (2'), an individual in which only the PCR product of about 206 bp was observed was determined as 〇, an individual in which only the PCR product of about 188 bp was observed was determined as ×, and an individual in which both the PCR product of about 206 bp and the PCR product of about 188 bp were observed was determined as △. The results are shown in the following table. Since the genetic trait (2') was heterozygous, an individual in whom both a PCR product of approximately 206 bp and a PCR product of approximately 188 bp were observed was determined to have the genetic trait. Since the genetic trait (4') was heterozygous, an individual in whom bands of both the degradation product and the non-degraded product were observed was determined to have the genetic trait. Since the genetic trait (5) was homozygous, an individual in whom a band of the degradation product was observed was determined to have the genetic trait. As a result, in the high RebM strain, there was a tendency for the genetic traits (2'), (4') and (5) to be detected. On the other hand, in the medium RebM strain and the low RebM strain, there was a tendency for the genetic traits (2'), (4') and (5) not to be detected.

Claims

1. A stevia plant having at least one of the following genetic characteristics (1) to (5): (1) homozygosity or heterozygosity for an allele in which the sequence corresponding to positions 150 to 151 of SEQ ID NO:1 is T. (2) homozygosity or heterozygosity for an allele in which the base at the position corresponding to position 151 of SEQ ID NO:2 is TAGGTGGTGACACTGTAGC. (3) homozygosity or heterozygosity for an allele in which the base at the position corresponding to position 151 of SEQ ID NO:3 is A. (4) homozygosity or heterozygosity for an allele in which the base at the position corresponding to position 151 of SEQ ID NO:4 is A. (5) homozygosity for an allele in which the base at the position corresponding to position 151 of SEQ ID NO:5 is A.

2. A stevia plant having at least one of the following chemical characteristics (i) to (v): (i) a rebaudioside (Reb) M content of 1.8% or more per unit mass of dried leaves; (ii) a difference between the RebM content and the stevioside content per unit mass of dried leaves of 0.9% or more; (iii) a difference between the RebM content and the RebE content per unit mass of dried leaves of 1.3% or more; (iv) a ratio of the RebM content to the RebN content per unit mass of dried leaves, RebM / RebN, of 1.52 or more; and (v) a ratio of the RebM content to the stevioside content per unit mass of dried leaves, RebM / steviside, of 1.83 or more.

3. The plant body according to claim 1 or 2, comprising a stevia plant body that has been subjected to a mutagenesis treatment and its progeny plant body.

4. Dead tissue or dead cells of a plant body according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. A seed, tissue, dried leaf, tissue culture or cell of a plant body according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

6. The tissue, tissue culture or cell of claim 5, selected from an embryo, a meristematic cell, pollen, a leaf, a root, a root tip, a petal, a protoplast, a leaf slice and a callus.

7. A method of producing a stevia plant according to any one of claims 1 to 3, comprising the step of crossing a plant according to any one of claims 1 to 3 with a second stevia plant.

8. A method for producing the stevia plant according to any one of claims 1 to 3, comprising the step of introducing at least one of the following mutations into the genome of the stevia plant: (1) a mutation in which the sequence corresponding to positions 150 to 151 of SEQ ID NO: 1 is changed to T; (2) a mutation in which the base at the position corresponding to position 151 of SEQ ID NO: 2 is changed to TAGGTGGTGACACTGTAGC; (3) a mutation in which the base at the position corresponding to position 151 of SEQ ID NO: 3 is changed to A; (4) a mutation in which the base at the position corresponding to position 151 of SEQ ID NO: 4 is changed to A; (5) a mutation in which the base at the position corresponding to position 151 of SEQ ID NO: 5 is changed to A.

9. A plant body according to any one of claims 1 to 3, a dead tissue or dead cell according to claim 4, a seed, tissue, dried leaf, tissue culture or cell according to claim 5, or an extract of the tissue, tissue culture or cell according to claim 6.

10. A method for producing an extract containing steviol glycosides, comprising a step of obtaining an extract from a plant body described in any one of claims 1 to 3, a dead tissue or dead cell described in claim 4, a seed, tissue, dried leaf, tissue culture or cell described in claim 5, or a tissue, tissue culture or cell described in claim 6.

11. A method for producing steviol glycosides, comprising the step of purifying steviol glycosides from the extract described in claim 9.

12. A method for producing a food or beverage, a sweetener composition, a flavoring, or a medicine, comprising the steps of: providing an extract of a plant body according to any one of claims 1 to 3, an extract of dead tissue or dead cells according to claim 4, an extract of a seed, tissue, dried leaf, tissue culture, or cell according to claim 5, an extract of a tissue, tissue culture, or cell according to claim 6, or an extract according to claim 9; and adding the extract to a raw material for the food or beverage, a sweetener composition, a flavoring, or a medicine.

13. A food, drink, sweetener composition, flavoring, or pharmaceutical product comprising an extract of a plant body according to any one of claims 1 to 3, an extract of dead tissue or dead cells according to claim 4, an extract of a seed, tissue, dried leaf, tissue culture, or cell according to claim 5, an extract of a tissue, tissue culture, or cell according to claim 6, or an extract according to claim 9.

14. A method for producing a food or beverage, a sweetener composition, a flavoring, or a medicine, comprising: a step of purifying steviol glycoside from the extract described in claim 9; and a step of adding the purified steviol glycoside to a raw material for the food or beverage, a sweetener composition, a flavoring, or a medicine.

15. A method for screening a stevia plant having at least one of the chemical characteristics (i) to (v) described in claim 2, comprising the step of detecting the presence and / or absence of at least one of the genetic characteristics (1) to (5) described in claim 1 from a test stevia plant.

16. A screening kit for a Stevia plant having at least one of the chemical characteristics (i) to (v) according to claim 2, comprising a reagent for detecting the presence and / or absence of at least one of the genetic characteristics (1) to (5) according to claim 1.

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