Soil Temperature and Leaf Expansion in Zea mays

Abstract

Maize plants (Sweetcorn cv. Earliking) were grown in plots where four types of soil surface coverings were used to induce soil temperature differences During the vegetative stage of growth measurements were made of total leaf area per plant on a daily basis, and relative rates of leaf area increase were found to be closely correlated with mean daily soil temperatures at 5 cm. depth. The results were consistent with evidence that the temperature of the apical meristem strongly influences rates of leaf expansion in maize seedlings.