For most conditions, nitrogen is the nutrient that most affects corn yield.Nitrogen management should meet this crop requirement with a minimum environmental risk.To achieve this goal, nitrogen fertilization recommendation should be as precise as possible.The overall adoption of no-till and cover crops in Southern Brazil demands an adaptation of such recommendation.This recommendation was based on the CFS-RS/SC (1995) and its main modification was taking into account the contribution of the previous cover crop to N availability, besides the organic matter and yield goal previously used.The cover crop effect was considered under three situations: legumes, grass and mixture. For legumes and grass, dry mass production was used to estimate N contribution.For the mixture, legume participation was the main factor considered.Nitrogen fertilizer recommendation presented in this work does not dismiss field evaluation, since residue decomposition is a biological process influenced by climate, soil and management that must be determined locally.
Soil fertility; cover crops; residue decomposition; Zea mays