Green manure contains large amounts of nutrients and is considered as an important resource of organic fertilizers.It also plays an important role in ecological agriculture.After returning green manure to soil,the processes of green manure decomposition and release of its nutrients are important for improving soil structure,increasing soil organic matter content,maintaining the cycle of nutrients in agricultural ecosystems and enhancing the biomass and activity of soil microorganisms.The research methods associated with processes of green manure decomposition and release of its nutrients include nylon net bag method,isotope labelled method,infrared method and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance etc.The green manure decomposition and release of its carbon,nitrogen and potassium have a fast decomposition period in early time and a slow decomposition period in latter time.The processes of release of phosphorus and medium and microelements are not totally consisted with abovementioned pattern.The increase of nutrient content of green manure and elevated temperature could be beneficial for green manure decomposition and release of its nutrients.The green manure decomposition and release of its nutrients are also influenced by management practices in field such as fertilization and tillage.In the future,the simultaneous combination of different research methods should be used to study the pattern of green manure decomposition and the distribution of its nutrient release in soilplant systems.This would be beneficial for selecting appropriate green manure types and relating management practices in field for local environment.