The objective of this work was to evaluate the growth and yield of maize subjected to different nitrogen rates. The experiment was conducted with maize cultivar Pioneer 30F35 from 25/06 to 28/10/2009, in the region of Rio Largo-AL. The experiment was arranged in a randomized block design, with six nitrogen rates (0, 50, 100, 150, 200 and 250 kg ha-1 of N in the form of urea) and five repetitions per treatment. The models logistic and log normal peak showed statistically significant adjustments (p<0.05) and maximum coefficient of determination of 0.994 and 0.990, respectively. The values observed and estimated by these models showed high association by the Willmot's index of agreement, with values greater than 0.953. The plants showed statistically significant differences by the F teste (p<0.05) between the treatments for height (h) and leaf area index (LAI), with a maximum growth corresponding to the rate of 100 kg ha-1 N. The treatments showed significant differences (p<0.05) for yield, with the rate of 200 kg ha-1 providing the highest yield (5.45 t ha-1). The growth models can assist the growth analysis.
degree-days; sward height; leaf area index; Zea mays L.
