Currently, the Department of Agrotechnology and Ecology focuses on creating a powerful base for students’ internships on the lands of the KhNTUSG farm. Another important task is to develop educational and methodological complexes of disciplines and research that would allow training qualified, highly professional, socially active, creative specialists, in the field of ecology. Much attention is paid at the department to distance learning, which helps part-time students to acquire knowledge in a convenient form. The acquired knowledge and skills allow future promising specialists in environmental safety management of agricultural enterprises, audit, and environmental management to implement in Ukraine the latest modern, high-performance technologies for growing organic products competitive in the world market.
Scientific directions of the department: study of allelopathically active secretions of the most common types of cereals in culture and their use to solve practical problems of ecology, crop production, and selection; study of ecological-genetic and physiological-biochemical effects of electromagnetic radiation of different ranges on the growth and development of crops at different stages of ontogenesis; production of environmentally friendly livestock products; organic production, fertilizer systems, the use of advanced technologies in the cultivation of crops.
The department cooperates with many organizations of various forms of management of Ukraine and the World to provide high-quality training of specialists in the field of agri-environmental direction and the introduction of the latest educational technologies and methods in the educational process.
According to the decision of the Academic Council of KhNTUA in August 2017, the Department of Agrotechnology and Ecology was established based on two sections of the Department of Optimization of Technological Systems named after T. Yevsiukov. The birthday of the department can be considered 1930 when the Kharkiv Institute of Agricultural Mechanization established two biological departments: soil science and agrochemistry (head – Prof. Muravsianskyi S.) and agriculture and crop production (head – Prof. Suprunenko O.). In 1937, the departments were merged into one – agriculture and crop production, whose professor, and later head, became Professor Kovalov M., who led the development and implementation of the production of local methods of mineral and organo-mineral fertilizers for sowing crops, non-planting cultivation of sugar beet seeds, creating a frost-resistant variety of corn.
He and the staff of the department published several important monographs and textbooks and textbooks: “Chumiz culture” (1950), “Granular fertilizers”, “New in fertilizing fields” (1961), “Fundamentals of agriculture and crop production” (1963), ” Fundamentals of agronomy “(1968). From 1974 to 1980 the department was headed by Associate Professor Atroshenko M. Under his editorship was published a textbook “Fundamentals of Agronomy”. From 1980 to 2005 the department was headed by Professor Soloshenko O. In 2005, according to the decision of the Academic Council of the University, 2 departments were formed: agronomy and ecology, headed by prof. Soloshenko O., general and biological chemistry, headed by prof. Vasiliev S. In 2009, according to the decision of the Academic Council of the University, the Department of Chemistry, Agronomy, and Ecology was established, headed by prof. Vasiliev S. In 2011-2013, the section of agronomy and ecology became part of the Department of Physics, Chemistry and Agronomy of the Educational and Scientific Institute of Processing and Food Production under the leadership of Professor Spolnika O.I.
The section of industrial training was established in 1991 to improve the practical training of students and was responsible for training at the University of the working profession “Tractor Driver”. The section has been headed by Kyrychenko V., Associate Professor, Candidate of Technical Sciences, since its founding. Since 2012, the section was headed by Candidate of Agricultural Sciences, Associate Professor Horbanov A. In connection with the reorganization of the structure of KhNTUA in May 2013, the agronomy section and the production training section became structural units of the Department of Optimization of Technological Systems named after T. Yevsiukov.
In August 2017, the agronomy section and the production training section were separated from the Department of Optimization of Technological Systems. T.P. Yevsyukov and united in the Department of Agrotechnology and Ecology under the leadership of Doctor of Agricultural Sciences, Professor, Honored Worker of Science and Technology of Ukraine, Corresponding Member of NAAS of Ukraine Volodymyr Kuzmych Puzyk. At the same time, the specialty 101 “Ecology” of educational and qualification levels “bachelor” and “master” was opened at the department. Employees of the department have extensive experience in practical and production activities. The staff of the department includes 3 professors – Puzik V., Liubymova N., Kyrychenko V., associate professors – Horbanov A., Sheptur O., Pankova O., Chalaia O., Votchenko O.S .; 3 senior lecturers – Bondarenko V., Bezpalko V., Adamenko O., head of the laboratory Tsyba V., laboratory assistant Lyskonoh A.