The objective of this research was to evaluate: a)the N use efficiency by a maize (Zea mays L.) crop, using 15N labeled fertilizer applied in two splittings, and b) the residual effect of this fertilizer in two subsequent crops in succession (black oats and maize), under the introduction of the no tillage system. The experiment was carried out in Southest Brazil, in the cropping seasons 2003/2004 and 2004/2005, under a sandy-clayey loam soil (Hapludox) The first maize crop was in 2003/2004, the second one in 2004/2005 and the black oats crop in between. Treatments consisted of two ways of application of two N splittings (30-90 and 60-60kg ha-1) as 15N labeled ammonium sulphate fertilizer. In the maize and black oat plants, the following were evaluated: accumulated total N, nitrogen in plant derived from fertilizer and N fertilizer recovery. The treatment with 60kg ha-1 of N applied at sowing, in the 2003/2004 crop, increased the plant N use (65%) in relation to the treatment that received 30kg ha-1 of N at sowing (45%).
nitrogen use efficiency; residual effect; no tillage system
