Decomposition and nutrients released from forest and perennial crops associated with organic coffee

Abstract

Agroforestry consortia increase organic matter and nutrient cycling in agricultural systems. For this reason, the objective of this work was to study the release rate of nutrients and the decomposition of different organic residues, two times of the year, obtained from four cultures intercropped with conilon coffee, aiming to relate the released nutrients to the coffee needs. The decomposition of organic matter residues and the release of nutrients from Inga edulis, Musa spp, Gliricidia sepium, and Bactris gasipaes were evaluated in two different periods. I. edulis residues with a higher amount of polyphenols, and those of Musa spp, with a higher C/N ratio, showed slow decomposition. The decomposition rates were lower in experiments started in March and higher in August. Inga and banana have high residual values of nutrients at 270 days in the decomposition started in March.