Winter hairy vetch (HV) can be used as green manure with conventional tillage system (CT), in which chemical N fertilizer required for cultivation of sub-sequent com could be fully saved, or as cover crop with no-tillage system (NT) in which soil could be protected from erosion, control of weed, and the reduction of N fertilizer application. This experiment was carried out to compare the enrichment of soil mineral nitrogen (SMN) at corn root zone, and the changes of com growth and N uptake according to HV amounts (winter fallow, above-ground HV removed, intact HV, and HV added from aboveground HV removed) under two tillage systems in the upland field of National Crop Experiment Station, Suwon, Korea in 1996. HV cultivation during winter decreased SMN a little at com planting. HV incorporation with CT increased SMN rapidly during early growth stage according to rapid decomposition of Hv. SMN by HV cover with NT was increased slowly and its increase was higher in the surface soil (soil layer 0-7.5cm) compared to deep soil layer 7.5-22cm. Com growth and N status at corn silking stage, com yield and N uptake at harvest were increased in proportion to aboveground HV amounts regardless of tillage system. Average hairy vetch nitrogen (HV-N) uptake efficiency by com was 10% higher with CT than with NT in which average HV-N uptake efficiency was 43 %. Corn yields were not different between two tillage systems, but corn N uptake was increased by 33 kgN/ha more with CT than with NT due to the increase of corn N concentration. The increase of SMN and com N uptake from HV cover with NT could not be disregarded though those with CT were higher than with NT

• Jong Ho Seo
• Ho Jin Lee