During the 1960s the strong plant pathology program that Dr. Koch had built up over a period of years began to see some changes. When Dr. Hildebrand retired in 1962, Dr. Colin McKeen became head of the section. Dr. McKeen had become involved in a far-reaching program covering riot only a wide range of vegetable crops, but also the full gamut of pathogenic organisms known to attack these plants. He maintained a strong research program, contributed many scientific papers, and earned an international reputation for himself and the Station in vegetable pathology. Among other accomplishments he produced a definitive monograph on tomato diseases.

In 1961 when Dr. Whitney left, he was replaced by Dr. Ronald E. Wall as the pathologist on the research team along with Mr. Mortimore studying the root and stalk rot of corn. Dr. Wall remained for 3 years and then returned to research in forest pathology, the field in which he was trained and interested. In 1966 Dr. Leslie F. Gates, an experienced English pathologist who had spent a number of years in Southern Rhodesia, arrived to take charge of the corn disease program. In view of his long experience with virus diseases, he was also able to add this valuable capability to the pathology program and undertook to devote some attention to the virus diseases of corn and cereals that were then appearing in Ontario.

In 1962 Dr. Jerry H. Haas was engaged to study the diseases of soybeans and white beans, particularly bacterial blight and another mysterious disorder called bronzing. The latter results in flecking and browning of the bean leaves and is thought to be caused by high levels of ozone produced by atmospheric pollution.

In 1965 Dr. B. N. Dhanvantari, a native of India and a graduate from the University of Toronto, came to undertake investigations of tree fruit diseases, particularly peach canker, in order to strengthen the peach breeding program at the Station and to render assistance to the growing peach industry in Essex and Kent counties.

The field crops research program under the direction of Mr. Glenn Mortimore was considerably altered during the 1960s to meet the changing needs of agriculture. In 1962 Mr. Cas Owen retired after 33 years as a soybean breeder. Dr. Richard I. Buzzell then joined the staff and took up the soybean breeding program and continued to produce new varieties better suited to the needs of this very important industry. A few years later it was decided to broaden the scope of soybean research, and Dr. Brian R. Buttery was taken on staff as a crop physiologist to study some of the complex production problems of soybeans. Dr. Buttery, a graduate of English universities, had gained considerable experience in this type of crop assessment on rubber plantations in Malaya.

The team of Buzzell and Buttery set out to overcome the problem of the so-called yield plateau in crop response to fertilizer increments. In the course of this work they developed a series of improved selection techniques based on growth characters. The result has been two new varieties, Harwood released in 1970 and named for Harrow and Woodslee, and Harlon released in 1974 and named for Harrow and London. Harwood has resistance to lodging and to Phytophthora root rot. Harlon has early maturity suitable for the London district and resistance to Phytophthora.

In 1970 after the departure of Dr. Clark, the white bean program was completely reorganized. Dr. John Aylesworth was given the responsibility of managing the breeding program, which was aimed at developing new disease resistant varieties while retaining or improving on quality, earliness, and yield potential. Dr. Aylesworth organized a cooperative arrangement with American researchers in the State of Idaho for a seed increase program in connection with his breeding stock, because that location is considered to be a disease-free area for white beans. White beans are also called field beans or navy beans. None are grown in Essex County, but there are large acreages in Lambton, Kent, and other parts of southwestern Ontario.

In 1964 Mr. Lawrence J. Anderson was transferred from the Research Station at Lacombe, Alta., to assist in the field crops section. He has helped to maintain a modest program of variety testing of winter wheat, barley, and oats.

Also in 1964 Mr. Bob Haslam retired after 41 years of service in tobacco research. By this time the Research Station at Delhi had been officially separated from Harrow and the decision had been made to eventually transfer all tobacco research there. Mr. Haslam's position was not filled and Mr. Walter Scott was left as the only tobacco research scientist with the prospect that upon his retirement all tobacco research at the Station would end. He continued to fill a key role as the outstanding Canadian authority on burley tobacco production, but the pendulum of time had swung a complete round and the establishment that had started in 1909 as a tobacco station produced one acre of tobacco in 1974.

The year 1964 also saw the conclusion of the poultry investigation. Although no resident research officer had ever conducted research on the Station, the cooperative breeding and feeding experiments directed from Ottawa had made a substantial contribution to the national poultry program for 34 years. Mr. Wally Mountain and other members of the poultry staff were transferred to other sections and assumed new duties dealing with crop plants. A food processing program was started about this time as an adjunct to some of the horticultural projects and Mr. Mountain became the technical specialist in this field.

With the formation of the Research Branch in 1959 the Department of Agriculture entered upon a period of coordination and consolidation of research effort. The principle of management by objectives, which had been locally recognized for many years as an ideal guiding philosophy, was now actively pursued. A detailed assessment of the Branch research resources in terms of man-years of effort devoted to all disciplines, crops, and livestock disclosed some striking inequities. In relation to the economic value of specific agricultural products and the economic impact of the problems under consideration, it was evident that some segments of agriculture were receiving too much attention and others were being neglected. This was a natural result of the phenomenal growth of the organization over a period of 60 years and of the enthusiastic response of the Department to numerous appeals for help during this period, but the time had come to correct these anomalies. A number of the smaller establishments were closed and this proved to be a much more difficult operation than opening new ones.

The Station at Harrow was designated as one of the principal research centers in the Branch with continued or increased emphasis on fruit and vegetable research. At a somewhat later date it was also named as one of two main centers in Canada for weed research.

In 1964 the Research Branch recommended the closing of the Entomology Laboratory in Chatham and the Minister of Agriculture gave his approval. However, considerable opposition to this decision was encountered from Kent County farmers who had been well served by entomologists in the Chatham Laboratory since 1926 and were apprehensive that their problems might be ignored by scientists at more distant locations. Consequently, it was not until 1967 that the laboratory was finally closed. In the meantime the Officer-in-charge, Mr. George Manson, retired and members of the staff were transferred to other establishments across the country. Dr. Robert J. McClanahan, who had done considerable work on the control of tobacco insects, came to the Station in 1966 and engaged in a project for the study of greenhouse vegetable insects. He developed an interesting and effective procedure for the biological control of the greenhouse whitefly using a predator insect. This technique has been widely accepted by the greenhouse vegetable industry both in Canada and abroad. Mr. Harry B. Wressell was the only member of the laboratory staff to remain in Chatham where he was established in a downtown office with a secretary, Miss Margaret Ronson. He was attached to the Station, but continued to perform an extension function out of Chatham until his retirement in 1973.