Many producers now have the capability to vary seeding rates on-the-go. Methods are needed to develop variable rate seeding approaches in corn but require an understanding of the physiological response of corn to soil-landscape and weather conditions. Interplant competition fundamentally differs at varied seeding rate and may affect corn leaf area, transpiration, plant morphology, and assimilate partitioning. Optimizing these physiological effects with optimal seeding rates in a site-specific manner requires better information on these effects. Our objective was to examine corn development and physiological response of multiple hybrids across the growing season at a range of seeding rates. Working with cooperators we implemented a field scale strip-trial design at seven locations in the Central Claypan Areas of Northeast Missouri. The study included four different hybrids at three different seeding rates: 74,100, 83,980, and 93,860 seeds ha^-1. The plots are either six or eight rows wide at 30-inch spacing. Measurements were tracked regularly in small plot areas including: population at emergence, plant growth stage, plant height, canopy photograph, normalized difference vegetation index and normalized difference red edge, leaf area index, plant biomass, leaf and canopy temperature, and stomatal conductance. Max vegetation measurements included the above plus ear height and stem diameter. Field scale spatial measurements included multispectral aerial imagery, bulk soil electrical conductivity, visible near-infrared surface soil reflectance, and soil organic matter. At the end of the growing season yield was measured by hand sampling small plot areas and at field scale by yield monitor. Further we measured yield components of hand harvested sub-samples including barrenness, kernel rows, kernels per row, kernel mass, and kernel count. Initial results show some potential interactions among leaf area index, hybrid and seeding rate. For instance leaf area index increased with seeding rate. Plant canopy and leaf temperature show potential differences between seeding rates with the higher seeding rates consistently having a higher leaf temperature however canopy temperature may be greater for the 83,980 seeds ha^-1 seeding rate. The stomatal conductance results show that the seeding rate of 83,980 seeds ha^-1 has a higher amount of stomatal conductance than a higher or lower seeding rates. These preliminary findings about the mechanisms of interplant competition suggest that opportunities exist to develop variable rate seeding in the Central Claypan Areas of Missouri.