Nitrous oxide(N_2O), as one of the most important greenhouse gases, plays a crucial role in the global warming. Nitrogen(N) fertilizer is the primary source of N_2O emissions from agricultural soils. A field experiment was conducted to study the effect of single basal fertilization on N_2O emissions in wheat and maize rotation system. N_2O fluxes along with main environmental drivers(i.e., soil temperature, soil moisture, and soil NO_3~--N) were observed in 4 treatments, including control treatment(CK), optimized fertilization treatment (OPT), single basal fertilization treatment(OPT1) and controlled release fertilization treatment(CRF), during the period of October 2013 to October 2014. Results showed that the peaks of N_2O emissions were usually observed at the event of fertilization accompanied with irrigation or precipitation. The N_2O emission rates ranged from -0.24~2.78 mg N_2O ?m~(-2)?h~(-1), with daily means ranging from 23.88~65.46 mug N_2O ?m~(-2)?h~(-1). The OPT1 and CRF treatments both decreased the N_2O peak values, but did not change the seasonal variation patterns. The N_2O fluxes were positively correlated with soil water filled pore space(WFPS), but not with soil temperature at 5 cm depth. Compared with the OPT treatment, the OPT1 and CRF treatments both significantly reduced annual N_2O emissions by 27.47% and 22.80%, respectively. Annual emission factor(EF) of N_2O emissions was calculated to be 0.28%?0.77% of the fertilizer N. It is concluded that single basal fertilization management could effectively reduce N_2O emissions from wheat and maize rotation system.