The Department of Agrotechnology and Ecology was established by the Decision of the Academic Council of KhNTUSG in August 2017, but 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 .. Kovalov M. was one of the developers of the method of local application of mineral and organo-mineral fertilizers during sowing of crops, seedling cultivation of sugar beet seeds, and the introduction into the production of corn. Together with the staff of the department, he published some important monographs, textbooks, textbooks “Culture of Chumiz” (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. He edited the textbook “Fundamentals of Agronomy”. From 1980 to 2005 the department was headed by University Professor Soloshenko O. In 2005, according to the decision of the Academic Council of the University, 2 departments were established: 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 was introduced under the guidance of Professor Spolnik O. The Industrial Training Section was established in 1991 to improve the practical training of students. The section has been headed by Kyrychenko V., Associate Professor, Candidate of Technical Sciences, since its inception. Since 2012, the section was headed by Candidate of Agricultural Sciences, Associate Professor, Honored Worker of Agriculture of Ukraine Horbanov A.
In connection with the reorganization of the structure of KhNTUA in May 2013, the section of agronomy and the section of industrial training became structural subdivisions of the department of optimization of technological systems named after T. Yevsiukov of the Institute of MSM.
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 Puzik Volodymyr . At the same time 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 4 professors – Puzik V. , Horbanov A. , Liubymova N. , Pysarenko P. , 4 associate professors – Sheptur O. , Pankova O. , Chalaia O. , Votchenko O. , 3 senior teacher – Bondarenko V., Adamenko O. , Bezpalko V. , 4 teaching masters – Balabanov S. , Batozhskyi A. < / strong>, Kostin S. , Kozlovskyi Yu. , head of the laboratory Tsyba V. , specialist of the 1st category Yakovlieva M.I.
The department has training laboratories and boxes for storage of equipment with a total area of 650 m 2 . It has a large number of agricultural machinery, combine harvesters, trailed and trailed machines and implements (plows, cultivators, drills, planters, cutters, harrows, rollers, sprayers, etc.).
The main disciplines taught at the department: “ Fundamentals of agronomy” , “ Technologies of crop production “, “ Fundamentals of ecology “, “ Engineering ecology “,” Technologies of mechanized works “. The educational work of the department is aimed at the practical training of students. It includes training practice in agronomy and practice in agricultural machinery management. As a result of the implementation of training programs in agricultural machinery management and the discipline “Technology of mechanized works” based on the Department of Agricultural Technology and Ecology, students gain skills and abilities to drive tractors, units, and self-propelled agricultural machines. Skills of management of agricultural machinery, technological adjustment of units, and performance of the basic mechanized works are received by students on the educational range of 12 hectares. Every year, about 350 university students master the working profession “Tractor Driver” of various categories and receive the appropriate certificates. To ensure the educational process, sets of methodical materials on technological adjustment of machine-tractor units and management of agricultural machinery have been developed and published. Educational practice in agronomy is carried out on the basis of research field of the department , on which a collection nursery containing more than 40 types of crops, and on which experiments are conducted by teachers of the department. Since 2007, Mechanic’s Day has been held annually. Competitions are held among students on holiday, namely: “The best in the theory of engineering solution”, “The best specialist in plowing”, “The best specialist in the performance of row spacing”, “The best debugger”, “The best driver”, “The best specialist in construction techniques “,” The best diagnostician “,” The best ecologist “. At the section of industrial training the machine-technological station was created, and functions now. With modern equipment and experienced staff, the department assists agricultural enterprises of the region to perform basic technological operations (tillage, sowing, and harvesting) and is one of the bases where students of the Institute of Mechatronics and Management Systems undergo internships, increasing their practical and professional training.
Teachers of the department focus on the development of scientific research in the framework of the initial research work “ Innovative agroecological methods of improving the production of agricultural products ” (state registration number 0116U002833).
In recent years, teachers of the department have published textbooks and monographs “ Agroecology ” (2013), “ Environmental engineering ” (2015), “ Environmental science for engineering professionals ”(2017),“ Agronomy and crop growing ”(2017).
To introduce new forms of organization and conduct of the educational process for all specialties, the Department of Agrotechnology and Ecology has developed and used electronic textbooks and electronic training courses in environmental and agronomic disciplines. A test system for assessing students’ knowledge and skills has been developed and is actively used.
To ensure the educational process, guidelines are issued for practical work in all disciplines of the department. Teachers participate in the “ Advisory System ” of agricultural formations of the Kharkiv region, advising agricultural specialists in the implementation of modern technologies for growing crops, selection of plant varieties, soil protection, and environmentally balanced agricultural production. Teachers constantly carry out educational work among students. The department is supervised in groups of the institute. Communication with young specialists is maintained.
Currently, the Department of Agrotechnology and Ecology focuses on creating a strong base for students’ internships on the lands of KhNTUA. 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 agronomy and ecology.