Catalyst-Activated Cycle (CAC) – Manuscript 3: Field Efficacy, Grower Integration, and System-Level Benefits

The Catalyst-Activated Cycle (CAC) links soil-biological renewal to measurable economic and climate outcomes. Building on the mechanistic and quantitative foundations of earlier manuscripts, Manuscript 3 demonstrates verified field performance and grower integration. Across 24 replicated potato trials, catalytic chloropicrin treatments increased marketable yield by 25 % while reducing variability, confirming that microbial reorganization drives durable functional stability. Functional Resilience Quotient (FRQ) metrics capture this improvement, connecting biological efficiency to Avoided (AE) and Sequestered Emissions (SE). Verified FRQ–AE–SE data establish a bottom-up structure in which growers become the first custodians of sustainability evidence. Through Functional Carbon Accounts (FCA) and aggregated Functional Performance Assets (FPA), these field-level metrics scale transparently through processors and markets, forming the backbone of the Functional Sustainability Architecture (FSA). Manuscript 3 thus serves as the operational hinge of the CAC framework—showing that measured soil function can unify agronomy, economics, and climate accountability within a single regenerative system.  This manuscript is part of a six-paper series describing the Catalyst-Activated Cycle (CAC), a framework for measuring soil functional recovery, agronomic performance, and climate outcomes.