Abstract: Hexi Corridor, Gansu Province, is the largest corn seed production base in China. Over use of chemical fertilizers in corn seed production is common in this area. The amount of nutrients for forming 100 kg economic yield and the nutrient absorption characteristics were compared between inbred line seedproducing corn and yieldproducing corn from the same breeding line. The results show that the yield of seedproducing corn is lower than that of yieldproducing corn, about 61.14 percent of the yieldproducing corn. The average uptake amounts of nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium for forming 100-kg grain in seedproducing corn are 2.653 kg, 1.115 kg and 3.447 kg with the N∶P2O5∶K2O ratio of 1∶0.42∶1.30, less than those in yieldproducing corn, and about 73.8%, 62.4% and 73.3% of the yieldproducing corn, respectively. There are differences in the nutrient accumulation between seedproducing corn and yieldproducing corn. More nutrients are absorbed in seedproducing corn at the seedling stage; similar amounts to yieldproducing corn are absorbed at the jointing stage, and less required after the jointing stage. The total nutrient requirement in seedproducing corn is 63.0%-85.3% of that in yieldproducing corn. Therefore, less fertilizer should be applied and more nutrients should be provided in the early growing stage in seedproducing corn.