Bomby / Orobelle (coloured F1 hybrids)
Two private F1 hybrids from Syngenta for coloured capsicum. Bomby is a tall, staked plant with glossy red fruit that can also be sold green. Orobelle gives blocky fruit that turns from green to yellow and is listed for open field and net house.
Quick facts
- Type
- Hybrid
- Season
- All seasons
- Maturity period
- Mature green fruit picked from 60–70 days; red (Bomby) or yellow (Orobelle) takes longer
- Seed rate
- 250–300 g per acre (about 620–740 g per hectare), per Syngenta
- Expected yield
- Bomby 12 t/acre (about 30 t/ha), per Syngenta; no figure published for Orobelle
- Suitable soil
- Loam
- Disease resistance
- Orobelle: Syngenta says "many resistances" but names none. Bomby: none claimed
- Release
- Private hybrids from Syngenta; no public-sector release
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
About this variety
Bomby and Orobelle are private F1 hybrids from Syngenta. Bomby is a strong, sturdy, tall plant that needs staking. It is an early hybrid with good branching and dense leaves that shelter the fruit. The fruit is dark green when young and turns glossy red, medium-sized and blocky, about 130–150 g, 10–11 cm long and 10 cm round, with 3–4 lobes. Syngenta says it suits both green and red fresh harvest and keeps well for long-distance transport, and gives an average yield of 12 t/acre. Orobelle is a blocky hybrid that turns from green to yellow at maturity and sets well in cold weather. The fruit is almost square, 10 x 9 cm, with a medium-thick wall and an average weight of about 150 g. Syngenta lists it for open field and net house, and its sweet pepper page also says greenhouse or under plastic. The plant has medium-strong vigour, and Syngenta publishes no yield for it. These are the company's own figures.
Should you pick this variety?
Choose Bomby if you want glossy red fruit and are ready to stake a tall plant. Syngenta says it can be sold green or red, keeps well for long journeys and gives 12 t/acre (about 30 t/ha). Choose Orobelle if you want a blocky green-to-yellow fruit for open field or net house. Syngenta publishes no yield for it. Choose Indra if you only sell green fruit. Choose Arka Mohini if hybrid seed cost worries you. The catch is that you must have a buyer who pays more for colour, and every figure here is Syngenta's own.
Sowing & cultivation
- Sowing timeSummer, rabi and kharif. Syngenta lists fewer states for rabi, so check your state on its page
- Seed rate250–300 g per acre (about 620–740 g per hectare), per Syngenta
- Spacing150 x 45 cm (row to plant), per Syngenta. Bomby needs staking
- FertilizerSyngenta gives a total of 80:100:120 kg N:P:K per acre, with 8–10 t of farmyard manure per acre. Apply half the N and all the P and K as basal, then 25% of the N at 30 days and 25% at 50 days (counted from sowing in Syngenta's text)
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- Bomby can be sold green or red, and keeps well for long journeys
- Orobelle sets well in cold weather and is listed for open field and net house
- Both are recommended by Syngenta for all of India
Things to consider
- Coloured fruit only earns more if you have a buyer who pays for it. Ask about price and weekly quantity before you buy seed
- Hybrid seed costs more and must be bought new every season
- Bomby is a tall plant and needs staking, which adds labour and material cost
- Syngenta publishes no yield for Orobelle, and says it has "many resistances" without naming them
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Maharashtra
- Andhra Pradesh
- Telangana
- Karnataka
- Gujarat
- Rajasthan
- Tamil Nadu
- Madhya Pradesh
- Chhattisgarh
- Uttar Pradesh
- Bihar
- Jharkhand
- West Bengal
- Haryana
- Himachal Pradesh
- Uttarakhand
- Odisha
- Punjab
Line up the buyer for red and yellow fruit before you buy seed
Coloured capsicum earns its extra only when it reaches the right buyer: a retail chain, a hotel supplier or an exporter. A local vegetable market may pay little extra for red or yellow.
Syngenta says Bomby suits both green and red fresh harvest. That gives you a choice: sell green from about 60–70 days, or wait for colour. Fruit left on the plant for colour takes longer to sell, so work out which pays better with your buyer's real prices.
Before you order seed, ask the buyer for the price of each colour, the grade he wants, and how many kilos a week he will take. Then check that the price covers the seed, the staking and the extra weeks.
Where the planting material comes from
This is a hybrid, so seed kept from your own harvest will not breed true. The next crop comes up uneven in height, maturity and yield. Buy fresh certified seed every season and keep the bag tag until harvest.
How it compares with other varieties
Every Capsicum (Shimla Mirch) variety with a page on this site, side by side. The row for this page is highlighted.
| Variety | Best for | Maturity | Yield | States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arka Basant | A small, cream-coloured, conical capsicum that ripens orange-red, from ICAR-IIHR | ~150–160 days full cycle | About 15 t/ha | Karnataka |
| Arka Gaurav | A bacterial-wilt-tolerant green capsicum that ripens orange-yellow, from ICAR-IIHR | ~150 days full cycle | ~16 t/ha | Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh |
| Arka Mohini | A thick-walled, dark green blocky capsicum that ripens red, with about 20 t/ha from ICAR-IIHR | ~160 days full cycle | ~20 t/ha | Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu |
| Bomby / Orobelle (coloured F1 hybrids)this page | Coloured F1 capsicums from Syngenta, for farmers who can sell red or yellow fruit, and who stake the plants | Mature green fruit picked from 60–70 days; red (Bomby) or yellow (Orobelle) takes longer | Bomby 12 t/acre (about 30 t/ha), per Syngenta; no figure published for Orobelle | Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Odisha, Punjab |
| California Wonder | The plain open-pollinated green bell pepper that many Indian capsicums descend from, with seed you can save | First picking about 90–100 days after transplanting | 15–20 t/ha (open field) | Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Punjab |
| Indra (F1 hybrid) | A private F1 green capsicum with strong plants and uniform 170 g fruit, for farmers selling to distant markets | Fruit set from 50–55 days after transplanting; mature green fruit picked from 60–70 days | 12–15 t/acre (about 30–37 t/ha), per Syngenta | Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Odisha, Punjab, Tamil Nadu |
| Yolo Wonder | An open-pollinated green bell pepper close to California Wonder, with slightly darker, longer fruit | First harvest ~70–80 days after transplant | 15–20 t/ha (open field) | Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra |
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 Capsicum (Shimla Mirch) is selling for.
- Seed Rate CalculatorHow much seed your Capsicum (Shimla Mirch) 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 Capsicum (Shimla Mirch) variety on this site by state, season, duration and soil.
- Fertilizer CalculatorTurn the NPK recommendation for Capsicum (Shimla Mirch) into bags of urea, DAP and MOP for your field size.
- Crop CalendarMonth-by-month sowing, weeding, irrigation and harvest dates for Capsicum (Shimla Mirch) in your state.
- Crop Profit CalculatorPut your seed, labour and input costs against the yield you expect from this variety.
- Mandi Price CheckerToday's Capsicum (Shimla Mirch) rate in your nearest mandi, before you fix a price with a trader.
Subsidy and government support
Schemes that help with the cost of Capsicum (Shimla Mirch) seed or planting material. Rules and the application route are on each scheme page.
Frequently asked questions
Do Bomby and Orobelle need a polyhouse?
Not according to Syngenta. It lists Orobelle for open field and net house, and its sweet pepper page also says greenhouse or under plastic. It places no such limit on Bomby. Net or plastic can still protect colour from harsh sun, but a polyhouse is not a condition of the seed.
Are Bomby and Orobelle the same variety?
No. Bomby is a tall, staked plant with glossy red fruit of about 130–150 g. Orobelle gives blocky fruit of about 150 g that turns from green to yellow, on a plant of medium-strong vigour. Both are covered together because both are sold for coloured capsicum.
Can I save seed from Bomby or Orobelle?
No. These are F1 hybrids, so seed from your crop will not come true. Buy fresh seed every season. Syngenta gives 250–300 g of seed per acre, about 620–740 g per hectare.
What yield can I expect from Bomby and Orobelle?
Syngenta gives Bomby an average of 12 t/acre, about 30 t/ha, depending on season and practice. It publishes no yield for Orobelle. Figures of 60–100 t/ha for a polyhouse circulate with no source behind them, so plan on the Syngenta figure or lower.
Why is my coloured fruit uneven or sunburnt?
Strong direct sun on fruit that is not covered by leaves and big swings in temperature are the usual causes. Bomby has dense leaves that shelter the fruit, so avoid heavy pruning of the leaves. Shading net helps in the hottest weeks.
Sourced from: Bomby — Variety Capsicum, Syngenta India (traits, agronomy, expected yield), Orobelle — Variety Capsicum, Syngenta India (overview, recommended states, agronomy), Sweet Pepper — Syngenta India (plant and fruit description of Bomby, Orobelle and Indra). editorial policy.