A field experiment was carried out in order to identify the effect of rates and method of nitrogen application on grain yield of winter wheat,fertilizer nitrogen use efficiency,and accumulation of NO_3~--N,under water-saving cultivation system.The experiment was conducted at the Wuqiao Experiment Station of China Agriculture University,Cangzhou city,Hebei province.The experiment was designed as a random spot with three replications with the cultivar Shijiazhuang 8 No.The treatment were six nitrogen rate and method(0,157.5 0,88.5 69,157.5 69,123 103.5,226.5 0 and 157 138.5 N kg/hm~2).The nitrogen fertilizer was applied before sowing and at jointing,respectively.The results showed that the grain yield of winter wheat,which ranged from 7 618 to 8 063 kg/hm~2,did not respond to nitrogen fertilizer in water-saving cultivation system.The water use efficiency ranged from 1.72 to 1.86 kg/m~3.But the nitrogen use efficiency significantly increase at 0.05 level with the rates of nitrogen application.However,at the same time,the amounts of soil NO_3~--N residue at harvest significantly increase with the rates of nitrogen application also.The soil NO_3~--N content in 0~60 cm increase with the rates of nitrogen application at jointing,anthesis and harvest,respectively.The soil NO_3~--N content of two split application was higher than that of basal application when the nitrogen fertilizer rates was 157.5 kg/hm~2 at anthesis and harvest,respectively.Although,the soil NO_3~--N content of two split application was higher than that of basal application when the nitrogen fertilizer rates was 226.5 kg/hm~2 at anthesis,and results were opposite at harvest.The results suggested that under water-saving cultivation system winter wheat can achieve high grain yields,while lower soil NO_3~--N content with basal application at the level of 157.5 kg/hm~2 nitrogen fertilizer.