California Wonder
The classic introduced open-pollinated variety that most Indian bell-pepper types trace back to — a compact plant with thick-walled, 4-lobed, blocky green fruit that ripens red.
Quick facts
- Type
- Open-pollinated
- Season
- Rabi
- Maturity period
- First picking about 90–100 days after transplanting
- Seed rate
- 400–500 g/ha for nursery sowing (about 160–200 g/acre)
- Expected yield
- 15–20 t/ha (open field)
- Suitable soil
- Loam
- Disease resistance
- No special resistance; standard virus and mildew watch
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
About this variety
California Wonder is the long-established open-pollinated bell pepper variety that most Indian capsicum breeding traces back to. The compact, medium-tall plant carries thick-walled, four-lobed, blocky green fruit that ripens to red if left on the plant, and because it is open-pollinated, seed can be saved from a healthy crop. It remains widely grown for the open-field green-fruit market and is often the reference type used to describe other capsicum varieties.
Should you pick this variety?
Choose California Wonder if you want a cheap, well-known open-pollinated green bell pepper and want to save your own seed. The IARI checklist gives first picking at 90–100 days after transplanting and an average yield of about 17 t/ha (170 q/ha). Choose Yolo Wonder if that is the seed your dealer has, as the two are close. Choose Arka Mohini for a better-documented 20 t/ha. Choose Indra if you want fruit set sooner (50–55 days after transplanting, per Syngenta) and can pay for hybrid seed.
Sowing & cultivation
- Sowing timeNursery sown September; transplanted October–November in the plains
- Seed rate400–500 g/ha for nursery sowing (about 160–200 g/acre)
- Spacing60–75 cm between rows, 45–60 cm between plants
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- Open-pollinated, so seed can be saved from a healthy crop
- Easy to find, and both farmers and buyers know it well
- Thick-walled, uniform, blocky green fruit
Things to consider
- No special resistance to leaf curl virus or bacterial wilt — standard vector and drainage management still needed
- Lower yield than the modern F1 hybrids
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Uttar Pradesh
- Karnataka
- Maharashtra
- Punjab
Use California Wonder as your yardstick
Many newer capsicums are compared with California Wonder, so it is a good control in a trial. If you want to test Arka Mohini or a hybrid, plant 100 plants of each in the same bed, with the same nursery date and the same water.
At each picking, weigh the fruit from both blocks and write down the days from transplanting. After three or four pickings you will know which one pays on your soil, whatever the packet claims.
Keep the notes. A trial that you repeat for two seasons is worth more than any yield figure on a seed label.
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 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) | 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 Wonderthis page | 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
How long does California Wonder take to first picking?
The IARI checklist gives first picking at 90–100 days after transplanting. Some seed sellers quote fewer days, so plan on 90–100 until you see your own crop.
California Wonder or Yolo Wonder: which should I buy?
They are close. Yolo Wonder has slightly darker green, more elongated blocky fruit. Both are open-pollinated and sell in the same fresh green market. Buy whichever has fresher, labelled seed from a trusted dealer.
Why does California Wonder fruit turn red?
If you leave the fruit on the plant it ripens from green to crimson red. That is normal. Pick green unless your buyer pays extra for red, because waiting for colour delays harvest.
Is California Wonder right for a polyhouse?
The summary above describes it as an open-field green-fruit type with 15–20 t/ha. For a coloured polyhouse crop with a premium buyer, look at hybrids such as Bomby or Orobelle instead.
How much California Wonder seed do I need?
About 400–500 g per hectare for the nursery, roughly 160–200 g per acre. A hybrid like Indra needs about 620–740 g per hectare (250–300 g per acre), but you buy it new every season.
Sourced from: Checklist of Commercial Varieties of Vegetables (capsicum, carrot, cucumber, bottle gourd, bitter gourd) — TNAU Agritech national bulletin. editorial policy.