Summer Cover Crops Shoot Decomposition and Nitrogen Release in a No-Tilled Sandy Soil

ABSTRACT Cover crops have numerous benefits when used in a no-till system. Understanding the processes of decomposition and N release of summer cover crops (SCC) may help select species and management to be used in cropping systems. This study aimed to evaluate C and N loss of SCC shoots. Six SCCs were evaluated: velvet bean (Mucuna aterrima), pearl millet (Pennisetum americanum), dwarf pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan), sunn hemp (Crotalaria juncea), showy rattlebox (Crotalaria spectabilis), and jack bean (Canavalia ensiformis). The experiment was conducted for two years under no-till in soil classi...