Early Wonder
A quick early open-pollinated variety with slightly flattened-globe (top-shaped) roots and tall, upright, bronzy-green tops that make a good "bunching beet" sold with the leaves on.
Quick facts
- Type
- Open-pollinated
- Season
- Rabi
- Maturity period
- ~55–60 days
- Seed rate
- 6–9 kg/ha sown in lines (about 2.5–3.5 kg/acre)
- Expected yield
- No variety figure published (25–30 t/ha is the general beetroot figure)
- Suitable soil
- Loam
- Disease resistance
- No special resistance claimed
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
About this variety
Early Wonder is a fast-maturing, open-pollinated beetroot with slightly flattened, top-shaped roots and tall, upright, bronzy-green foliage. TNAU's lecture note describes flat-globular roots with dark red skin and dark red flesh, with light red zoning. The leaves make it well suited to being sold as a bunching beet, with roots and tops tied together and sold fresh. That format fetches a premium in urban markets. Being one of the quickest beetroots to reach a marketable size, it is a favoured choice for an early first crop.
Should you pick this variety?
Choose Early Wonder if you will sell beets with the tops on. Its tall, upright, bronzy-green leaves make a good-looking bunch, and the roots are ready in 55 to 60 days, a figure that comes from seed catalogues, since no Indian trial has measured it. Bunches fetch a premium in urban markets. Do not choose it if you sell loose roots by weight. No yield figure is published for it, while NHB calls Detroit Dark Red a heavy yielder. NHB lists Early Wonder among exotic table varieties from the USA, so ask your dealer where the seed comes from. Crosby Egyptian takes about the same time, 55 to 60 days, if you only want a quick root without the tops. TNAU says the flesh of Early Wonder shows light red zoning.
Sowing & cultivation
- Sowing timeSeptember to November in the northern plains; can be sown a little earlier than the main-crop varieties
- Seed rate6–9 kg/ha sown in lines (about 2.5–3.5 kg/acre)
- SpacingRows 30–40 cm apart; thin to 8–10 cm between plants
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- One of the fastest beetroots to a marketable size
- Attractive bronzy-green tops suit selling as a bunching beet
- Good for an early first crop ahead of the main season
Things to consider
- Roots turn woody quickly if left too long — lift promptly at size
- The 55 to 60 day figure is from seed catalogues; no Indian trial has measured this variety, so treat it as a guide and time your own first sowing
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Uttar Pradesh
- Haryana
- Punjab
- Delhi
Getting a bunching beet to market: a morning-to-market routine
A bunching beet is judged by its leaves as much as by its root. A bunch that arrives wilted or yellow is just a heavy, slow-selling root. Everything that follows is about keeping the tops fresh between the field and the buyer.
Irrigate the plot the evening before so the soil is soft and the roots come out without tearing. Pull in the cool of the early morning. Shake off the soil, trim off any yellow or damaged leaves, and tie roots of about the same size together with their tops. Keep the tied bunches in shade, with the tops covered by wet sacking or in a crate, and out of the sun.
Then move fast. Aim to be at the market the same morning. Bunches fetch a premium in urban markets, but no price is published, so work out your own. Weigh a bunch, note the weight of the loose-root price for the same weight, and compare. If the bunch price does not beat the loose price by more than the extra labour costs, sell loose and save the effort.
Can you keep your own planting material?
This is an open-pollinated variety, so seed from a healthy crop of your own can be sown again. Keep seed only from disease-free plants, dry it properly, store it cool and dry, and bring in fresh certified seed every three to four years so the variety does not drift.
How it compares with other varieties
Every Beetroot (Chukandar) variety with a page on this site, side by side. The row for this page is highlighted.
| Variety | Best for | Maturity | Yield | States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crimson Globe | Farmers who want a quick main-crop beet with crimson flesh and no ring-zoning | ~55–60 days (TNAU) | Best plot 31.7 t/ha marketable in a Gujarat trial (30 October sowing, 30 x 15 cm) | Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Bihar |
| Crosby Egyptian | Farmers who need a very quick beet to fill a gap between crops or to start a staggered sowing | ~55–60 days (TNAU) | No variety figure published (25–30 t/ha is the general beetroot figure) | Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana |
| Detroit Dark Red | Farmers who want one safe, widely available main-crop beetroot with deep red flesh | ~80–100 days (TNAU) | 25–30 t/ha | Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Punjab, Haryana |
| Early Wonderthis page | Farmers near a city who can sell roots tied with their tops as a bunching beet | ~55–60 days | No variety figure published (25–30 t/ha is the general beetroot figure) | Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Delhi |
| MSH-102 (hybrid types) | Larger commercial and processing farmers who need very uniform, high-yielding roots and will buy fresh seed every season | ~80–95 days | 30–40 t/ha | Maharashtra, Karnataka, Punjab |
| Ooty 1 | Hill farmers in the Nilgiris and similar cool areas of Tamil Nadu who want a beet bred for their weather | ~120 days (TNAU) | ~28 t/ha (TNAU) | Tamil Nadu |
| Ruby Queen | Farmers who sell small, tender, sweet beets to the young-beet and salad trade | ~55–65 days | No variety figure published (25–30 t/ha is the general beetroot figure) | Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka |
Tools for this crop
The numbers you need next: how much seed to buy, whether the lot germinates, what the fertilizer bill looks like and what Beetroot (Chukandar) is selling for.
- Seed Rate CalculatorHow much seed your Beetroot (Chukandar) plot needs, corrected for the germination of the lot you bought.
- Germination CalculatorTest 100 seeds from the bag before sowing and see whether the lot is fit to sow.
- Seed Variety FinderFilter every Beetroot (Chukandar) variety on this site by state, season, duration and soil.
- Fertilizer CalculatorTurn the NPK recommendation for Beetroot (Chukandar) into bags of urea, DAP and MOP for your field size.
- Crop CalendarMonth-by-month sowing, weeding, irrigation and harvest dates for Beetroot (Chukandar) in your state.
- Crop Profit CalculatorPut your seed, labour and input costs against the yield you expect from this variety.
- Mandi Price CheckerToday's Beetroot (Chukandar) rate in your nearest mandi, before you fix a price with a trader.
Subsidy and government support
Schemes that help with the cost of Beetroot (Chukandar) seed or planting material. Rules and the application route are on each scheme page.
Frequently asked questions
What is a bunching beet and why does it sell for more?
A bunching beet is sold with its roots and fresh tops tied together, instead of as loose roots. That format fetches a premium in urban markets, because the leaves tell the buyer the roots are fresh and can be cooked too. We found no price for it, so ask a city trader what a bunch fetches against the same weight of loose roots.
How do I keep the tops fresh and clean?
For a bunch the leaves are the product, so protect them. TNAU names leaf miner and flea beetle as the pests and Cercospora leaf spot as the disease, and all three mark the leaves. Check the rows each week, remove badly marked plants, and ask your KVK which sprays are allowed. Pull in the cool of the morning and keep the bunches shaded until they are sold.
When can I sow Early Wonder compared with the main-crop varieties?
It can be sown a little earlier than the main-crop varieties, in September to November in the northern plains. TNAU calls beetroot a cool-weather crop, so keep the sowing out of the hot spell. A crop of 55 to 60 days sown on 20 September is ready between about 14 and 19 November, so you reach the market before the main-crop beets.
What spacing suits a bunching crop?
Keep rows 30 to 40 cm apart and thin to 8 to 10 cm between plants, with 6 to 9 kg of seed a hectare. Thin once, early, to one seedling per hill as TNAU does at 20 days. Even spacing matters here because a bunch needs roots of about the same size, so leave no gaps and no doubles.
How much will Early Wonder yield?
No yield figure is published for it. NHB lists Early Wonder among exotic table-purpose varieties from the USA, and TNAU's lecture note describes the root but gives no yield. For a bunching crop, count bunches, not tonnes. Mark out a 100 m row, tie the bunches to your buyer's size, and count them. Then ask a city trader what he pays a bunch, and work out your own money a row.
Sourced from: Beet root (Beta vulgaris) — TNAU Agritech Portal, Horticulture, Beet root: origin, varieties, package of practices — TNAU eAgri HORT 281, Lecture 30, Beet: varieties, soil and climate — National Horticulture Board (NHB). editorial policy.