Nitrogen is the most absorbed mineral nutrient by corn crop and most affects grains yield. It is the unique nutrient absorbed by plants as cation (NH4+) or anion (NO3-). The objectives of this work were to investigate the N accumulation by corn grains applied to the soil as NH4+ or NO3- in the ammonium nitrate form compared to amidic form of the urea, labeled with 15N; to determine the corn growth stage with highest fertilizer N utilization by the grains, and to quantify soil nitrogen exported by corn grains. The study was carried out in the Experimental Station of the Regional Pole of the Sao Paulo Northwestern Agribusiness Development (APTA), in Votuporanga, State of Sao Paulo, Brazil, in a Red Latosol. The experimental design was completely randomized blocks, with 13 treatments and four replications, disposed in factorial outline 6x2 + 1 (control, without N application). A nitrogen rate equivalent to 120 kg N ha-1 as urea-15N or as ammonium nitrate, labeled in the cation NH4+ (15NH4+NO3-) or in the anion NO3- (NH4+15NO3- ), was applied in six fractions of 20 kg N ha-1 each, in different microplots, from seeding to the growth stage 7 (pasty grains). The forms of nitrogen, NH4+-N and NO3--N, were accumulated equitably by corn grains. The corn grains accumulated more N from urea than from ammonium nitrate. The N applied to corn crop at eight expanded leaves stage promoted largest accumulation of this nutrient in the grains.
urea; ammonium nitrate; soil nitrogen; isotopic dilution
