Raclavská et al. (2026) Optimising Soil Hydraulic Behaviour Through Combined Cellulose and Biochar Amendments: Implications for Climate-Smart Agriculture

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Identification

• Journal: Agriculture
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-06-12
• Authors: Helena Raclavská, Barbora Švédová, Marek Kucbel, Konstantin Raclavský, Pavel Kantor, Karolina Slamová, Jarmila Drozdová
• DOI: 10.3390/agriculture16121304

Research Groups

Not specified in the provided text.

Short Summary

This study evaluates the effects of waste paper cellulose and biochar on soil hydraulic behavior, finding that while cellulose increases total water storage, biochar improves water retention stability.

Objective

• To evaluate the individual and combined effects of waste paper cellulose and biochar on soil hydraulic behavior (specifically water-holding capacity and retention stability) across contrasting soil types.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Laboratory scale (64 soil and soil-related samples).
• Temporal Scale: Short-term (including a 24 h drainage period for stability measurements).

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Empirical measurement of hydraulic indicators (WHC, WMCC, WRCC24) and calculation of Retention Efficiency ($\text{RE} = \text{WRCC24}/\text{WMCC}$).
• Data sources: Experimental data from 64 soil samples characterized by texture and organic matter content.

Main Results

• Water-Holding Capacity (WHC): Strongly associated with soil organic matter; significantly increased by cellulose, especially in soils with low initial hydraulic performance.
• Retention Efficiency (RE): Primarily related to soil texture and pore-system characteristics rather than organic matter.
• Amendment Synergy: Cellulose and biochar provide complementary effects; cellulose primarily enhances total water storage, whereas biochar improves the stability of retained water after drainage.
• Hydraulic Response: Total water storage and retention stability respond differently to amendments and are partly independent.

Contributions

• Establishes that total water storage and retention stability are distinct metrics that must be evaluated together to fully assess soil amendment performance.
• Identifies the potential of combined cellulose–biochar applications as a strategy to improve soil water management under water-limited conditions.

Funding

Not specified in the provided text.

Citation

@article{Raclavská2026Optimising,
  author = {Raclavská, Helena and Švédová, Barbora and Kucbel, Marek and Raclavský, Konstantin and Kantor, Pavel and Slamová, Karolina and Drozdová, Jarmila},
  title = {Optimising Soil Hydraulic Behaviour Through Combined Cellulose and Biochar Amendments: Implications for Climate-Smart Agriculture},
  journal = {Agriculture},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.3390/agriculture16121304},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture16121304}
}