The present study was used to determine the effects of gradients on maize yield and nitrogen use efficiency in slop cropland，which provided a scientific basis for the rational application of nitrogen(N)for maize in hilly and sloping farmland in central Sichuan. The 353 data were collected of no N application (N0P2K2)and recommended N application (N2P2K2)in mazie“3414” fertilization experiments in central Sichuan basin during 2005—2012. The slopes of cropland were divided into 5 types:0 °-2 °，2 °-5 °，5 °-8 °，8 °-15 ° and 15 °-25 °. By analyzing maize yield，partial factor productivity from applied N(PFPN)，soil fertility under different slopes，the characteristics of soil nutrient supply，yield effects of nitrogen fertilizer and recommended application amount for maize on different slopes were clarified. The results showed that the yield of N0P2K2 treatment was decreased gradually with the increase of slope，and the average yield under the five slopes was 4260.7-4941.9 kg/hm². After applying N fertilizer(N2P2K2)，the yield of maize was increased significantly，and the PFPN from low slope to high slope was 35.3，30.3，33.1，31.5 and 28.7 kg/kg，respectively. Under the same target yield，the recommended amount of nitrogen fertilizer was 217.4，230.3，228.0，227.7 and 233.4 kg/hm². The contents of soil organic matter，total N and alkali hydrolyzable N were decreased with the increase of slope，and the contribution rate of soil N to maize yield was also decreased. On the whole，the contribution rate of soil N to maize yield was 67.9%，while the contribution rate of N fertilizer was 32.1%. The slope of cultivated land significantly affected soil nutrient supply，maize yield and N fertilizer utilization. The contribution rate of basic soil fertility to yield was greater than that of N fertilizer application. Therefore，N fertilizer should be applied reasonably according to the change of soil fertility and the response characteristics of N fertilizer application in production. Through improving soil fertility and reducing the amount of N fertilizer，the yield and N fertilizer use efficiency can be increased.