Hospital expansion sows concern among scientists testing drought-resistant crops

Agricultural scientists are conducting special research into drought-resistant soybeans in the uniquely sandy-soiled research fields of the Central Experimental Farm that lie adjacent to the Civic campus of The Ottawa Hospital — land that's now being eyed for a possible 60-acre hospital expansion. 

The first public consultation on the renewed effort to replace the Civic were held in March, one year and four months after the former Conservative government announced the controversial plan to rebuild the facility on farmland across Carling Avenue.

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The hospital agreed to go back to the drawing board after backlash from the scientific community — and questions from the new Liberal government — about how the original deal was reached.

This month, a research team led by Dr. Malcolm Morrison is sowing what could be the future hospital grounds with soybean seeds for a trial that could yield a high-protein legume capable of withstanding drought and climate change.

Sandy soil crucial to research

Morrison and his team are conducting a drought-tolerance screening test of 32 different varieties of soybean. They sow two rows of each variety, then irrigate one row daily while leaving the other to the mercy of natural precipitation.

"We are looking for a plant that does well under-irrigated, and well under drought conditions," said Morrison, who has conducted similar trials in fields along the Experimental Farm's Winding Lane for nearly three decades.

The sandy loam in Field 2, across Carling Avenue from the hospital's Civic campus, is unique on the Experimental farm, and ideally suited to Morrison's brand of research.

"I would have to go elsewhere to find another piece of soil," said Morrison.

"In the future, with climate change, we might not get warmer temperatures in eastern Ontario in the summertime, but what we are going to get is wide fluctuations in precipitation. We're kind of developing systems to mitigate climate changes differences."

'A shame' to lose research land

Morrison said a hardier soybean would be valuable even in short-lived dry spells. 

"If you have a period of 14-21 days without rain, this can seriously damage the crop, especially if it occurs during a sensitive period like flowering or seed development. And we have periodic drought every year."

Claire Gahagan, a biology student at the University of Ottawa, is studying soil pathogens and working in the field alongside Morrison.

"Because he's been here for so long, he has shown trends that are very interesting, like the temperature changes."

Gahagan said she's been following the debate over the planned expansion of the Civic campus.

"I think it would be a shame if we lost so much of the research land here just because particularly, where it's going, they're such long-standing [crop] rotations."​

A study by Soy Canada suggests soybeans add about $5.6 billion to Canada's gross domestic product.

Most of the Canadian crop is pressed for oil, then fed to livestock.