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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Burlington, Vermont » Food Systems Research Unit » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #425650
Research Project: Improving Environmental, Economic, and Social Sustainability of Plant-based Food Systems in the Northeast States in a Manner that Enhances Nutrition and Public Health

Location: Food Systems Research Unit

Title: POXC Testing

Author
item VELLENGA, MIRANDA - University Of Vermont
item EWING, PATRICK - US Department Of Agriculture (USDA)
item TRACY, JACOB - University Of Vermont
item ENGLISH, MARIE - University Of Vermont
item NEHER, DEBORAH - University Of Vermont
item DARBY, HEATHER - University Of Vermont
item FAULKNER, JOSHUA - University Of Vermont

Submitted to: Agricultural Research Service Station Bulletin
Publication Type: Experiment Station
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/11/2025
Publication Date: 4/11/2025
Citation: Vellenga, M., Ewing, P.M., Tracy, J., English, M., Neher, D., Darby, H., Faulkner, J. 2025. POXC Testing. Agricultural Research Service Station Bulletin. SHREC_FS_07.

Interpretive Summary: Soil health is increasingly a concern for farmers across the US. Test values are difficult to interpret and regionally-specific. The University of Vermont is providing a soil health testing service through the Soil Health Research and Extension Center (SHREC). This service provides tests of common soil health metrics and interpretations within the agricultural, climatic and soil context of Vermont. The test factsheets support this effort through describing what each test is measuring, how these measures compare to other measures, and how to interpret results. This factsheet describes permanganate-oxidizable carbon (POXC), a chemically defined fraction of the soil organic pool that is oxidized by potassium permanganate. This metric represents energy available to microbial activity on a seasonal time scale. As POXC increases within the field, often so does plant productivity and soil biological processes such as nutrient cycling, and aggregation.

Technical Abstract: Soil health is increasingly a concern for farmers across the US. Test values are difficult to interpret and regionally-specific. The University of Vermont is providing a soil health testing service through the Soil Health Research and Extension Center (SHREC). This service provides tests of common soil health metrics and interpretations within the agricultural, climatic and soil context of Vermont. The test factsheets support this effort through describing what each test is measuring, how these measures compare to other measures, and how to interpret results. This factsheet describes permanganate-oxidizable carbon (POXC), a chemically defined fraction of the soil organic pool that is oxidized by potassium permanganate. This metric represents energy available to microbial activity on a seasonal time scale. As POXC increases within the field, often so does plant productivity and soil biological processes such as nutrient cycling, and aggregation.