Camarosa
A short-day variety bred at the University of California, Davis (1994). Indian trials give mixed results. It gave the most fruit in a Meghalaya trial (245.2 g a plant) but the least in a Mahabaleshwar trial (540 g a plant, 21.65 t/ha), with the lowest TSS (9.80%) there.
Quick facts
- Crop
- Strawberry
- Type
- Runner plant (tissue-culture / certified)
- Season
- Rabi
- Maturity period
- ~150–170 days
- Expected yield
- 245.2 g a plant in Meghalaya, 540 g (21.65 t/ha) at Mahabaleshwar. Results differ by place.
- Suitable soil
- Well-drained sandy loam rich in organic matter, pH 5.7–6.5
- Disease resistance
- No specific resistance claimed; firm fruit tolerates handling well
- Release
- Bred and released by the University of California, Davis in 1994
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
About this variety
Camarosa was bred by the University of California, Davis, and released in 1994 from the cross Douglas × Cal 85.218-605. It is a vigorous short-day variety with large, firm, dark-red, conical fruit. In India it is not an ICAR release. It comes as planting material from nurseries around Mahabaleshwar and Panchgani. Indian trials do not agree on its yield. In a 25-variety trial at Umiam, Meghalaya (2005–07) it flowered earliest, 91 days after planting, and gave the most fruit, 245.2 g a plant, with the heaviest fruit, 17.2 g. At Mahabaleshwar in 2016 it gave the least of four varieties: 31.76 fruits of 17.00 g, 540 g a plant and 21.65 t/ha, with the lowest TSS, 9.80%. In the Himachal mid-hills it flowered for longest, 111–113 days.
Should you pick this variety?
Choose Camarosa if you farm in a place where its record is good, such as the Meghalaya hills (245.2 g a plant), or if you want a long flowering period (111–113 days in the Himachal trial). Do not choose it for Mahabaleshwar-type conditions on the strength of its name: in the 2016 trial there it gave the least of four varieties, 540 g a plant, against 840 g for Seascape and 820 g for Winter Dawn. Pick Winter Dawn or Nabila for Mahabaleshwar, and Chandler for the Himachal mid-hills (40.08 t/ha).
Sowing & cultivation
- Sowing timeThe Mahabaleshwar trial planted in November 2016 on raised beds at 30 × 30 cm. The Himachal mid-hill trial planted in the first week of October at 50 × 25 cm.
- Spacing30×30 cm on raised beds 1–1.2 m wide, through black plastic mulch
- FertilizerFYM plus basal P and K at bed preparation; nitrogen split at ~3 weeks and at flowering, full potash at flowering (see the crop guide for the full schedule)
Pest & disease considerations
Major diseases
Major pests
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- Flowered earliest in a Meghalaya trial, 91 days after planting, and gave 245.2 g a plant there.
- Long flowering, 111–113 days in the Himachal mid-hills, which spreads picking.
- Firm, dark-red fruit that the Himachal trial rated among the more promising on size and yield.
Things to consider
- Lowest of four varieties at Mahabaleshwar (540 g a plant, 21.65 t/ha) and lowest TSS (9.80%) and smallest fruit (17.00 g) there.
- Not an ICAR release. Plant fresh, certified runners every year; never replant old plants.
- No specific resistance to grey mould or red stele. Raised beds, drip and mulch are still needed.
Suitable regions
An imported American cultivar, not an ICAR release, grown commercially across Mahabaleshwar–Panchgani and the northern plains via certified nurseries.
- Maharashtra
- Punjab
- Haryana
- Uttar Pradesh
- Delhi
Same variety, different states: read the trial nearest you
Camarosa gave 245.2 g a plant in Meghalaya (2005–07), and 540 g a plant at Mahabaleshwar in 2016, where Seascape gave 840 g. The plants are the same. The difference is in the planting date, the spacing, the climate, the soil and the year.
That is why the line 'Camarosa is the best' is not safe. At Mahabaleshwar the beds were planted in November 2016 at 30 × 30 cm. In the Himachal trial the plants went in during the first week of October at 50 × 25 cm. Both followed local practice.
Look for the trial nearest to you. If you are in the plains of Maharashtra, the 2016 Mahabaleshwar numbers are your best guide. If you farm in the hills, use the Himachal and Meghalaya numbers. Then plant two or three varieties on separate beds and weigh the berries for one season.
Can you keep your own planting material?
This crop is multiplied from runners — the trailing shoots that root where they touch the ground. You can raise your own plants from healthy mother plants, but runners carry virus and crown rot forward, so most growers buy fresh, certified runners every year or two rather than planting on from their own indefinitely.
How it compares with other varieties
Every Strawberry variety with a page on this site, side by side. The row for this page is highlighted.
| Variety | Best for | Maturity | Yield | States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Camarosathis page | A firm, dark-red berry for farmers in hills and cooler plains, planted where its record is good, not assumed to be the highest yielder | ~150–170 days | 245.2 g a plant in Meghalaya, 540 g (21.65 t/ha) at Mahabaleshwar. Results differ by place. | Maharashtra, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi |
| Chandler | The proven hill-and-cool-plain strawberry, chosen for its record in Himachal and Assam trials rather than for earliness | ~150–170 days | 35.10 and 40.08 t/ha in the Himachal mid-hills (2012, 2013); 186.8 g a plant in the Assam hills. | Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana |
| Festival | The large-berried, high-yielding strawberry for the Bihar plains and the hills, chosen for berry size and yield, not for sweetness | ~150–170 days | 355.04 g a plant at Sabour, Bihar; 15.26 t/ha in Supaul, Bihar; 29.76 and 35.24 t/ha in the Himachal mid-hills; 169.0 g a plant in the Assam hills. | Maharashtra, Odisha, Chhattisgarh |
| Nabila | A sweet, large-fruited berry for Mahabaleshwar-type conditions, chosen for TSS and weight per plant, with a thin Indian trial record | ~150–170 days | 735 g a plant (29.42 t/ha) at Mahabaleshwar, 2016; 850–900 g a plant in the Italian patent. | Maharashtra, Odisha, Chhattisgarh |
| Sweet Charlie | The sweet, early-flowering berry sold on taste, planted for TSS and berry count rather than for the heaviest bed | ~140–160 days | 182.4 g a plant in the Assam hills (at par with Chandler); 22.48 berries a plant at Sabour, Bihar. Berries are small. | Maharashtra, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi |
| Winter Dawn | The vigorous early planter: a heavy-fruiting winter berry for Maharashtra and Bihar, chosen for fruits per plant and an early start | ~150–170 days | 820 g a plant (32.97 t/ha), 39.20 fruits of 21.00 g at Mahabaleshwar, 2016 | 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 Strawberry is selling for.
- Seed Rate CalculatorHow much seed your Strawberry plot needs, corrected for the germination of the lot you bought.
- Seed Variety FinderFilter every Strawberry variety on this site by state, season, duration and soil.
- Fertilizer CalculatorTurn the NPK recommendation for Strawberry into bags of urea, DAP and MOP for your field size.
- Crop Profit CalculatorPut your seed, labour and input costs against the yield you expect from this variety.
- Mandi Price CheckerToday's Strawberry rate in your nearest mandi, before you fix a price with a trader.
Subsidy and government support
Schemes that help with the cost of Strawberry seed or planting material. Rules and the application route are on each scheme page.
Frequently asked questions
Is Camarosa an Indian-bred strawberry variety?
No — it was bred by the University of California, Davis and released in 1994. It reaches Indian farmers as certified planting material multiplied by nurseries in Mahabaleshwar and Panchgani, chosen because its short-day breeding suits an Indian winter, not because it is an Indian release.
Why is Camarosa specifically valued for fruit sent to distant markets?
Its fruit is notably large and firm compared with many other commercial strawberry varieties, so it tolerates the handling, packing and transport needed to reach city markets well beyond Mahabaleshwar itself without softening or bruising as quickly.
Is Camarosa really the highest-yielding strawberry in India?
Not everywhere. In a Meghalaya trial it gave the most fruit, 245.2 g a plant. At Mahabaleshwar in 2016 it gave the least of four varieties, 540 g a plant (21.65 t/ha). Choose it for your own state's record, not for a general claim.
How sweet is Camarosa?
At Mahabaleshwar it had the lowest TSS of four varieties, 9.80%, against 12.46% for Nabila and 11.10% for Winter Dawn. In the Himachal trial Sweet Charlie and Ofra had the highest TSS. If you sell on sweetness, Camarosa is not the first choice. If you sell on firm, dark-red fruit that travels, it still can be.
How long does Camarosa keep flowering?
In the Himachal mid-hill trial (2012–13) Camarosa flowered for 111 and 113 days in the two years, the longest of 13 genotypes, followed by Sweet Charlie and Ventana. A long flowering spell can mean a longer picking window, but only if the plants are healthy and the berries are not lost to grey mould. At Mahabaleshwar the harvest lasted 70.80 days after planting, the shortest, though not significantly.
Can I use runners from my own Camarosa plants?
It is possible to take runners, but disease builds up in old stock. Grey mould, crown rot and viruses pass from mother plant to runner. The Indian trials above all planted fresh runners in autumn. Buy certified runners from a nursery each year, and plant them on a clean raised bed with mulch.
Camarosa or Chandler for the hills?
In the Himachal mid-hill trial (Nauni, 2012–13) Chandler gave the highest yield, 35.10 and 40.08 t/ha, and Camarosa was among the promising varieties for fruit size and yield. In the Assam hills Chandler gave 186.8 g a plant. For a first planting in the hills, put most of the area in Chandler and keep a few beds of Camarosa to compare.
Sourced from: Camarosa Strawberry Variety Info And Grow Guide, UC Davis — Strawberry Varieties Released, Performance of strawberry cultivars under Mahabaleshwar conditions — J. Pharmacognosy & Phytochemistry 7(4), 2018, Comparative performance of strawberry cultivars under mid-hill conditions of north-western Himalayas — Indian J. Hort. 71(3), 2014, Performance of strawberry cultivars under sub-tropics of Meghalaya (Umiam, 2005–07) — Indian J. Agric. Sci. 78(7), 2008. editorial policy.