The use of cover crops preceding corn is an alternative to supply nitrogen (N) and to make no-till system viable regions with dry winter such as in the Southeast, Center-West, North, and Northeast of Brazil. The purpose of this study was to evaluate N levels and the effect of cover plants on N supply and corn yield in no-till system. The study was carried out from 2000 to 2003. The experimental design was randomized blocks, with split-split plots and four replicates. The main plot treatments were four use and management systems: corn in no-till after Crotalaria juncea, corn in no-till after Brachiaria brizantha in the first year and Dolechus lablab in the two last ones (PDlab), corn in no-till after Pennisetum americanum (PDmil) and corn in conventional system after winter fallow (PC) and the subplot treatments were three side-dressed N levels (0, 60 and 120 kg ha-1). Corn aboveground dry mass, yield, accumulated N and N use efficiency were evaluated. N use efficiency by corn was higher in PDcrot and PC in comparison to PDlab and PDmil, which showed a similar response. The maximum corn yield was 7,259; 7,234; 6,723 and 6,461 kg ha-1, with N levels of 97.1, 120.0, 87.8 and 96.1 kg ha-1 in PDcrot, PC, PDlab and PDmil, respectively. Grain yield in no-tillage-corn after Crotalaria cover crop was higher than that following millet and lablab.
nitrogen; cover crops; green manures; management system; Zea mays
