The use of leguminous species allows the biological incorporation of nitrogen into cropping systems. Nevertheless, there is little knowledge about the decomposition, release and volatilization of nitrogen associated with the decomposition of different quantities of residues. The objective of this study was to evaluate the decomposition of the biomass, the release and volatilization of nitrogen from different doses of velvet bean (Mucuna cinerea Piper & Tracy) residues. The treatments were established either with 12 (C12) or 25 (C25) Mg ha-1 of organic compost: C12AV0 (without residue); C12AV4 (4 Mg ha-1 of residue); C12AV8 (8 Mg ha-1); C12AV12 (12 Mg ha-1); C25; AV12 (12 Mg ha-1) and a control. The randomized block design was adopted with five repetitions. Mass dry matter decomposition and N release rate, the soil N-mineral content and N-NH3 volatilization were determined. N mineralization (t ½= 28 days) was faster than the decomposition of dry matter (t ½=38 days). This mineralization rapidly increased the soil mineral-N content and resulted in higher N-NH3 volatilization. However, the increase from 8 to 12 Mg ha-1 of velvet bean mass resulted in an overproportional increase of N-NH3 volatilization, which reached 30 kg ha-1 after 30 days.
Green manure; soil N-mineral; N-NH3
