Soil cover crops and nitrogen fertilizing in corn in no tillage planting

With the aim of studying the preceding soil cover crop influence upon the corn crop production components an experiment in a disttrophic Red Latossol was developed at the Nucleo de Ciencias Agrarias - NCA, of the Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul - UFMS, Campus de Dourados - MS. The experimental design was randomized blocks, with the treatments arranged in a split plots pattern, with four replications. The experimental plots were constituted by the former crops (hairy vetch and forage turnip) and the split plots were represented by five surface nitrogen doses (0, 50, 100, 150, and 200 kg N/ha(-1)) in the corn crop, divided into two applications, in the four and eight leaves growth stages. The preceding crops present differentiated effects on the corn cultivated afterwards production components. The hairy vetch is more effective than the forage turnip in relation to the following traits: above ground dry matter, ear diameter, one thousand grains weight, and corn grains nitrogen content. Despite the previous crop, nitrogen addition increases corn grains productivity.