Influence of Early Season Temperatures on the Relative Leaf Expansion Rate of Corn

This study was initiated to determine the response of corn seedling growth to environmental conditions with emphasis placed on soil and air temperatures. Three environmental variables are considered most important to plant growth and these are temperature, light, and moisture. Temperature is considered the most important of these three variables. However, plant response to temperature, light, or moisture conditions will be influenced by other environmental factors. Another variable affecting plant growth which should be considered is initial plant size and/or plant stage of development for any given measuring period. A question that arises is do any of these variables have a greater effect than the others. As spring progresses environment and plant size are changing and the effect of these changing conditions must be considered when evaluating growth. Plant response will also be affected by interactions occurring between environmental variables. The objectives of this study were to determine the effects of temperature and the interaction of temperature with other climatic variables on corn seedling growth. A corn seedling is defined as a vegetatively growing plant whose growing point is still located beneath the soil surface