In an ongoing field experiment comparing the effects of contrasting methods of soil cultivation, we studied the uptake by winter wheat (Triticum aestivumL.) of15N-labeled fertilizer, split-applied in three dressings, in microplots treated by either conventional plowing (CP), shallow cultivation (SC), shallow cultivation + subsoiling (SS), or minimal tillage (MT) in 1987. Results indicated that the percentage utilization (PU) of fertilizer N for each of the three dressings was similar between cultivation systems with total fertilizer N recovery ranging from 71.0% for MT to 73.8% for SC. However, farming systems significantly affected the relative contributions of fertilizer N and soil N to uptake into the aerial portion of the wheat; for example soil N uptake was 104.7 kg N ha−1for CP, 93.0 for SC, 94.1 for SS, and 99.2 for MT. For each treatment, soil N uptake was directly related to the rate of mineralization determined in a fallow soil. As in the previous year, the rate of mineralization was greatest for CP treatments.