Yolo Wonder
A closely related open-pollinated introduction to California Wonder, with slightly darker, more elongated blocky fruit and good field vigour, grown as an interchangeable standard for the fresh green market.
Quick facts
- Type
- Open-pollinated
- Season
- Rabi
- Maturity period
- First harvest ~70–80 days after transplant
- 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 claimed
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
About this variety
Yolo Wonder is an open-pollinated bell pepper closely related to California Wonder, with slightly darker green, more elongated blocky fruit and good general field vigour. It is grown across much of the same range and for the same fresh green-fruit market, often used interchangeably with California Wonder depending on which seed is more readily available locally in a given season.
Should you pick this variety?
Choose Yolo Wonder when it is the labelled open-pollinated seed available near you and you want a green bell pepper for the fresh market. It gives 15–20 t/ha in the open field and you can save seed. Choose California Wonder if that is easier to find, since the two are used interchangeably. Choose Arka Mohini for a better-documented yield, or Indra if you want early fruit 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
- Good general field vigour
- Open-pollinated — seed can be saved
- Elongated blocky fruit shape suits many local markets
Things to consider
- No special resistance to virus or bacterial wilt
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Uttar Pradesh
- Madhya Pradesh
- Maharashtra
Keep notes when you swap Yolo Wonder and California Wonder
Because the two are so close, many farmers buy whichever one the dealer has that season. That is fine, but you then learn nothing about your field.
Write one line per season: variety, nursery date, transplanting date, date of first picking and kilos from a block of 100 plants. After two seasons you can see if the small fruit difference matters to your buyer.
If your buyer prefers the longer, darker fruit, say so to the dealer early. Seed of the preferred one often sells out first.
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 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 Wonderthis page | 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 is Yolo Wonder different from California Wonder?
Yolo Wonder has slightly darker green and more elongated blocky fruit, and good field vigour. Otherwise they are close: both are open-pollinated and sell in the same fresh green market.
Can I save Yolo Wonder seed?
Yes, it is open-pollinated. Save seed only from your healthiest plants, and grow it away from other capsicum and chilli plots so it does not cross.
Does Yolo Wonder resist any disease?
No special resistance is claimed. It has no special strength against virus or bacterial wilt, so control whitefly and thrips and keep the beds well drained.
When can I expect the first picking of Yolo Wonder?
It is ready about 70–80 days after transplanting. The IARI checklist gives California Wonder 90–100 days, so plan for the longer figure until you see your own crop.
Where is Yolo Wonder grown?
The summary above lists Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, with transplanting in October–November in the plains. Sow the nursery in September.