Abstract: The nitrogen (N) fertilizer with controlled N release can effectively enhance N uptake and utilization of plants and improve the yield formation capacity. In this study, the effects of different controlled N release urea combined applications under equal nitrogen condition on nitrogen absorption and yield are studied by a field experiment. The results showed that compared with CK (no N fertilizer applied), all the N treatments including T1 (regular N treatment of urea) and T2 to T5 (controlled N release urea) enhanced NR, GS activity, plant dry matter, N accumulation amount, uptake rate, yield formation factor, yield and N fertilizer use efficiency. Compared with T1, treatments from T2 to T5 displayed lower activities of NR and GS, plant dry matter, N accumulative amount and uptake rate at stages of jointing and ear formation, but they were increased after spinning stage. Among the treatments from T2 to T5, NR and GS activities increased with the elevation of controlled N release fertilizer amount; plant dry matter and N accumulative amount increased with the increase of controlled release urea in stages of jointing and ear formation, but showed single peak curve in spinning, filling and maturity stage, and were the highest in T3. With the increase of controlled release urea, N accumulative amount and uptake rate were increased at the filling stage to maturity stage. Compared with T1, the spike numbers, per-1000 grain weight and yield of treatments from T2 to T5 were increased, and were the highest in T3 (50% controlled release urea of base application + 50% urea of dressing at ear formation stage). In addition, harvest index of T3 and T4 was significantly higher than that of T1. The results indicate that suitable controlled release urea application as base fertilizer (50%) and urea dressing ear formation stage (50%) could coordinate N demand in different growth stages, promote N uptake and utilization, as well as improve the yield formation capacity.