Scientists Turn to Straw and Wood Chips to Restore Quebec’s Degrading Farmland

Quebec's Montérégie, Canada's most intensive agricultural area, is under threat from increasing vegetable crop loss due to degrading productive organic soils. These high-organic-matter century-old built-up peatland soils are degrading at a rate of one centimetre per year. Consequently, almost 16% of Montérégie's farm land that represents organic farming is now significantly degraded and at regional food security and farm income risk.

Degradation starts with farmers draining naturally water-saturated soils to make them fertile. While this stimulates crop development, it also introduces oxygen into the soil, which increases microbial activity. Microbes such as these destabilize the organic matter, releasing carbon dioxide and increasingly reducing the depth and fertility of the soil. Over time, nutrients are leached out and the soil becomes hardened and compacted with reduced water uptake—all not favoring plant growth. Wind erosion also accelerates the process as it carries finer particles along with it, accelerating the decomposing process.

In earlier efforts to avoid going around this issue, copper was tried out as a natural soil additive since copper has the ability to slow down the action rate of microbial enzymes. Copper didn't work out in the long run, though, since it carried the risk of polluting the environment and wasn't that effective either. Scientists have now resorted to something more natural: the use of organic matter such as straw and wood shavings.

Scientists at Laval University have also considered the potential of employing such materials, rich in organic carbon, as fertilizers for the soil. Straw and wood chips mimic the natural cycle of plant residue accumulation which had formed the original organic soils. Used in correct amounts, they provide structure to the soil, water-holding, and aeration conditions for vegetative crop growth. Quebec vegetable growers who used this method have noted improved soil health and increased yields.

Although early promising results, the optimum quantity of organic matter to apply remains a problem. Its overapplication would lead to uncontrolled microbial competition for nitrogen and other nutrients, hence retarding plant growth. For the best process, Laval University undertook a five-year field-testing program that started in 2024 to test varying application rates and crop response under field conditions. The outcome will guide farmers on optimal and effective use of these amendments.

Simultaneously, scientists are researching the use of polyphenols—plant substances—that can slow down the function of microbial enzymes. Encouraging as that may seem, it is currently in its infancy and requires further research before it becomes viable for application on a large scale.

This is not a problem for Quebec. It is also happening elsewhere in the world. The findings and research conducted in Montérégie are therefore of significant interest to world agriculture. Preservation of organic soils is not only critical to regional vegetable crops, but also to prevent dependence on international food produced elsewhere, reduce emission-related costs from transportation, and for food security in the future.

The incorporation of natural substances such as straw and wood shavings into the ground is proving to be a viable, workable way to prevent soil erosion. With climate change continuing and making conditions worse for farmers all over the world, solutions such as these are more crucial than they have ever been. Through research and implementation of sustainable agriculture, Quebec's effort is acquiring valuable information towards securing the future of agriculture here and worldwide.

Source
Grant Brown, Scientists Fight to Save Valuable Land with Green Organic Soil Supplements, Published on 10 July 2025, Unsplash+ License