Incorporating material with a high carbon content such as straw, corn stover, wood chips, or sawdust for purposes of promoting CO2 release without the addition of adequate nitrogen to promote decomposition may result in a crop showing nitrogen deficiencies. Nitrogen is essential for the decomposition of organic matter as it permits and promotes the growth of microorganisms that attack and break down the organic materials. If the organic matter contains a low level of nitrogen in proportion to the carbon present, the microbes will utilize any nitrogen in the soil for their own use in decomposing organic matter. Until decomposition is completed and the microbes decay thereby releasing the nitrogen, a growing crop may be unable to obtain sufficient nitrogen for adequate growth, and high levelsofcarbon dioxide are of little or no benefit because the nitrogen is the limiting factor
When organic materials with a 30:l C:N ratio (carbon: nitrogen ratio) are added to soil, shortages of soil nitrogen during the initial decomposition process can be expected. Since straw, stover, and wood chips may have a C:N ratio of 90:1, adequate nitrogen should be incorporated to prevent crop nitrogen deficiencies