Knowledge about crop growth processes in relation to N limitation is necessary to optimize N management in farming system. Plant-based diagnostic method, for instance nitrogen nutrition index (NNI) were used to determine the crop nitrogen status. This study determines the relationship of NNI with agronomic nitrogen use efficiency (AEN), tuber yield, radiation use efficiency (RUE) and leaf parameters including leaf area index (LAI), areal leaf N content (NAL) and leaf N concentration (NL). Potatoes were grown in field at three N levels: no N (N1), 150 kg N ha-1 (N2), 300 kg N ha-1 (N3). N deficiency was quantified by NNI and RUE was generally calculated by estimating of the light absorbance on leaf area. NNI was used to evaluate the N effect on tuber yield, RUE, LAI, NAL, and NL. The results showed that NNI was negatively correlated with AEN, N deficiencies (NNI<1) which occurred for N1 and N2 significantly reduced LAI, NL and tuber yield; whereas the N deficiencies had a relative small effect on NAL and RUE. To remove any effect other than N on these parameters, the actual ratio to maximum values were calculated for each developmental stage of potatoes. When the NNI ranged from 0.4 to 1, positive linear relationships were obtained between NNI and tuber yield, LAI, NL, while a nonlinear regression fitted the response of RUE to NNI.