Chair of Crop Science focuses on advancing agricultural crop production. Our priorities are yield stability, resource efficiency in production, and reducing environmental impacts.
We study how cultivation technologies, crop rotations, soil fertility, and nutrient cycling affect the growth and productivity of crops. We work on solutions that help farmers cope with variable weather and growing conditions and make decisions.
Teaching and Education
The faculty members and researchers of our chair primarily contribute to teaching within the Agricultural Production and Marketing curriculum, as well as in the Veterinary Medicine program and doctoral studies in Agriculture and Applied Biology.
The fields of study we cover include crop production (agronomy), conventional and organic farming, plant physiology, plant genetics and breeding, soil management and mechanization technologies, as well as agricultural regulations.
We supervise students' final theses at all academic levels: bachelor's, master's, and doctoral studies.
Research
In the field of crop production, our research and development activities cover both traditional field crops (including cereals, oil crops, potatoes, cover crops, and forage crops) and the cultivation of new crops, agroecology, as well as studies on stress tolerance and disease resistance under climate change conditions.
History of the Chair
Agricultural crop production (agronomy) has been a core discipline of the university since its foundation. Research in plant physiology was introduced in 2006.
In 2009, these two fields were merged to form the Crop Production and Plant Biology Division. Since 2017, the leadership of the field has been consolidated under the Chair of Crop Production and Plant Biology, which was established by combining the departments of Crop Production and Grassland Management and Plant Physiology.
Over time, the field has operated in several locations, most recently in Eerika, Harku, and at the Estonian University of Life Sciences campus in Metsamaja. Today, all activities are based in Metsamaja, with experimental fields located in Eerika.
Head of the Chair
Evelin Loit-Harro
Tenured Professor in Sustainable Agriculture (Head of the Chair)
Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
Chair of Crop Science
+372 7313502
+372 731350259125549
59125549Estonian University of Life Sciences
Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
Fr. R. Kreutzwaldi 5, Tartu 51006, Building D
