Crop productivity within fields is heterogeneous and it responds to the variation in crop management patterns, and in previous, random, and natural crop management factors. The methodologies for the delimitation of management zones (MZ) within production fields differ based on their application objectives. The objectives of this study were (i) to quantify differences in yield and nitrogen use in wheat crops among defined MZ based on 8 methodologies for the delimitation, and (ii) based on a chosen methodology, (i) to quantify differences in wheat productivity in MZ with different levels of applied Nitrogen: 0 and 160 kg N ha^-1. High (H), medium (M) and low (L) productivity MZ were defined in wheat production fields (Rolling Pampas, Argentina) based on yield mapping (YM), topographic position, normalized vegetation index (NDVI) of crops, NDVI of Gramineae, previous management practices, soil mapping (SM), photointerpretation of satellite images (PhSI), and standardized sums of YM and SM.

In each MZ, wheat production was determined based on N fertilization levels. When MZ productivity increased, maximum yields were obtained with lower levels of N available (soil + fertilizer). Higher differences between productivity MZ A and B were found based on PhSI, productivity MZ A was higher than productivity MZ B in minimum and maximum yields (44% y 7.5%) and in N use efficiency (59%). MZ A productivity yield was a 26 and 15% higher than MZ B productivity based on N availability, which was 0 and 160 kg of N ha-1. In lower nitrogen levels differences between MZ were higher. Forty percent of the difference in wheat production fields between MZ A and MZ B decreased with the application of 160 kg N ha^-1.