The use of legume cover crops contributes to soil conservation and would be an economical N source to maize. Since only winter legumes were evaluated in southern Brazil, this study was carried out to assess the effect of four intercropped summer species (Canavalia ensiformis, Cajanus cajan, Stizolobium niveum and Glycine sp.) on N supply and maize yield increase, in comparison with a control treatment, without legume cover crops. Cropping system effects on maize crop were evaluated under three mineral N rates (0, 60 and 120 kg ha-1), in two individual long-term trials, under reduced tillage (RT) or conventional tillage (CT), from 1993 to 1998. Both experiments were conducted on a Hapludox in the northwest of Santa Catarina State. Averaged across years, dry matter yield of legume species varied from 1.26 to 5.48 Mg ha-1, and N in aboveground phytomass from 31 to 132 kg ha-1. In comparison with the control treatment, without cover crops and mineral N, the legumes increased maize yield in a magnitude that ranged from 17 to 93 % (423 to 2256 kg ha-1) on CT, and from 12 to 43 % (281 to 1031 kg ha-1) on RT, and these increments were equivalent to those promoted by amounts of mineral N varying from 12 to > 120 kg ha-1 under CT, and from 50 to 86 kg ha-1, under RT. Besides protecting the soil, cultivation of summer legumes in a maize-legume intercrop enhances N availability and maize yield in the following season. Thus, it is an alternative N source, especially for small farms where maize is manually harvested.
Cover crops; summer legumes; intercrops; nitrogen; maize