THE REGIONAL ADAPTATION OF CORN 
IN NEBRASKA 
T. A. Kiesselbach and F. D. Keim 
OBJECT AND SCOPE OF THE INVESTIGATION 
The purpose of this investigation was to determine some 
of the factors involved in the regional adaptation of corn. 
The procedure has been to make a comparative study of native 
corn types, known to be locally adapted to various regional 
areas in Nebraska thru long growth there. The work lias been 
confined to the single species group — Zea mays indentata. No 
one variety of a common source is grown thruout the state, and 
therefore it has been impossible to keep within a single variety. 
It would appear that the data should indicate morphological 
and histological plant characteristics involved in the adaptation 
of dent corn to various environments, as found in Nebraska. 
Comparative yield tests of corn from various sources are 
also reported. 
The growing of adapted corn is of great importance to the 
farmer. The simple matter of planting well adapted, rather than 
poorly adapted seed may determine whether he meets with suc- 
cess or failure in his corn growing. Corn has now been grown 
in all agricultural areas of the State for many years, and ex- 
perience indicates that in the main fairly well adapted types are 
being grown. An attempt is made to analyze what constitutes 
such adaptation. 
Altho objection has been raised by several investigators* 
to the use of the term “adaptation,” it is used in this paper be- 
cause of its popular usage, and for the reason of being most 
expressive of the collective phenomenon of the favorable heredi- 
tary reactions of plants to their environment. Plants should 
not be credited with teleologic or purposive variation. Crop 
adaptation results from fortuitous or chance variation, and sur- 
vival of the fittest, thus coming into a greater harmony with 
the environment. The selective force may be either natural, 
or artificially directed. Hereditary character changes are in- 
volved. 
*Omissicn of a historical review from this Bulletin has been necessitated thru a 
lack of space. 
