Florida is home to the largest caladium production in the world, supplying essentially all the global caladium tuber demand. These plants are famous for their vibrant leaf colors and patterns and are asexually propagated through tubers. Following plant development, tubers are harvested and stored for a few months before being forced from March to September for potted plant production and direct landscape planting. During extended postharvest storage, caladium tubers face the risk of severe weight loss, tissue decay, and Fusarium tuber rot. The current practice of storage under ambient conditions with high temperatures and high relative humidity exacerbates weight loss and tuber rot. The challenges of long-term tuber storage make it difficult to produce pot caladium plants for winter holidays, including Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year. These challenges also affect the commercialization of tubers in the Southern Hemisphere during the summer. Opening these marketing opportunities can allow growers to extend and increase their production. Additionally, the identification of caladium tubers suitable for late-season production will give Florida growers a competitive advantage. To identify caladium varieties with long-term tuber storage potential and late-season production, 12 varieties were evaluated to target Thanksgiving and Valentine’s Day. No.1-sized tubers were potted in 5-inch containers and grown in a greenhouse. For each variety, 10 tubers were monitored for sprouting and leaf expansion and later evaluated for plant quality using a rating scale from 1 to 5. Eight cultivars were identified as suitable to grow for Thanksgiving, whereas 3 were identified for Valentine’s Day based on long-term storage potential and plant performance. Identification of cultivars will allow growers to expand their commercialization window not only for major holidays but also to supply tuber demand to the Southern Hemisphere.
