Articles | Volume 12, issue 2
https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-12-1021-2026
https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-12-1021-2026
Original research article
 | 
19 Oct 2026
Original research article |  | 19 Oct 2026

Straw and biochar co-application: a strategy to reduce Cd–Zn bioavailability, alleviate microbial nutrient limitations and enhance soil C stability

Xirui Kang, Na Geng, Yaping Li, Hui Wang, Hong Pan, Quangang Yang, Zhongchen Yang, Yanhong Lou, and Yuping Zhuge

Cited articles

Ahmad, J., Al-Farraj, A. S., Ahmad, M., Al-Swadi, H. A., and Al-Wabel, M. I.: Functionalized organo-mineral composites of biochar for the effectual immobilization of arsenic in contaminated soil, J. Soils Sediments, 24, 1556–1575, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-024-03730-z, 2024. 
An, N., Zhang, L., Schoenau, J. J., Liu, Y., Ren, B., Wu, Z., Han, W., and Han, X.: Seven-year straw and biochar amendments modulate soil pore structure, nutrient availability, and nitrogen partial factor productivity, Agron. J., 117, e70171, https://doi.org/10.1002/agj2.70171, 2025. 
Burachevskaya, M., Minkina, T., Bauer, T., Lobzenko, I., Fedorenko, A., Mazarji, M., Sushkova, S., Mandzhieva, S., Nazarenko, A., Butova, V., Wong, M. H., and Rajput, V. D.: Fabrication of biochar derived from different types of feedstocks as an efficient adsorbent for soil heavy metal removal, Sci. Rep., 13, 2020, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-27638-9, 2023. 
Carnier, R., de Abreu, C. A., de Andrade, C. A., Fernandes, A. O., Silveira, A. P. D., and Coscione, A. R.: Soil quality index as a tool to assess biochars soil quality improvement in a heavy metal-contaminated soil, Environ. Geochem. Hlth., 45, 6027–6041, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10653-023-01602-y, 2023. 
Chen, L., Zhou, S., Zhang, Q., Zou, M., Yin, Q., Qiu, Y., and Qin, W.: Effect of organic material addition on active soil organic carbon and microbial diversity: a meta-analysis, Soil Till. Res., 241, 106128, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.still.2024.106128, 2024a. 
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Short summary
Effective strategies are needed to remediate heavy metal pollution while supplying carbon (C) to maintain microbial activity and soil fertility. In this study, we revealed that optimised straw:biochar ratio (1 : 3) provides a novel integrated approach for remediating heavy metal-contaminated agricultural soils while simultaneously enhancing soil C stability, nutrient availability, and microbial activity.
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