The Effect of Sustainable Tillage Systems on Faba Bean Yield in a Long-Term Experiment in Poland

Irena Małecka-Jankowiak, Andrzej Blecharczyk, Zuzanna Sawinska (), Tomasz Piechota and Robert Idziak
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Irena Małecka-Jankowiak: Department of Agronomy, Poznań University of Life Sciences, 11 Dojazd Street, 60-632 Poznań, Poland
Andrzej Blecharczyk: Department of Agronomy, Poznań University of Life Sciences, 11 Dojazd Street, 60-632 Poznań, Poland
Zuzanna Sawinska: Department of Agronomy, Poznań University of Life Sciences, 11 Dojazd Street, 60-632 Poznań, Poland
Tomasz Piechota: Department of Agronomy, Poznań University of Life Sciences, 11 Dojazd Street, 60-632 Poznań, Poland
Robert Idziak: Department of Agronomy, Poznań University of Life Sciences, 11 Dojazd Street, 60-632 Poznań, Poland

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 10, 1-18

Abstract: In recent times, there has been a trend towards sustainable agriculture in the world, which is aimed at protecting the production potential of the soil and ensuring stable agricultural production. Conservation agriculture is one way to ensure sustainable production. The main principles of conservation agriculture are crop diversification, minimizing tillage, and maintaining soil cover with plant residues. An important role in crop diversification is assigned to legumes. The research was conducted in 2016–2019 based on a long-term experiment established in 1999 (Brody/Poznań). The experiment with faba bean included four variants of tillage: 1—conventional tillage (CT), 2—reduced tillage (RT), 3—strip-tillage (ST), and 4—no-tillage (NT). The research took place in two extremely different weather conditions. Two very favorable years and two with catastrophic drought. Weather conditions had a greater effect on faba bean yields than the tillage systems. The highest faba bean seed yield was obtained in 2017. The seed yield ranged from 6.73 t ha −1 in NT to 7.64 t ha −1 after ST. A high seed yield (4.94–5.97 t ha −1 ) was also in 2016. In years characterized by low rainfall (2018 and 2019), the average seed yield was 1.89 and 1.74 t ha −1 , respectively. Considering the sustainability of the assessed tillage systems in faba bean, both in terms of environment and production, RT and ST should be indicated as the most sustainable. They limit the intensity of tillage and can be classified as conservation tillage, as opposed to conventional tillage. NT provides the best soil protection and conservation, but in favorable weather conditions, it limits the yield level of faba beans. The yields obtained in RT and ST technologies were high, both in favorable and extremely unfavorable years. Given the increasing climatic instability and unpredictable weather, yield stability in various conditions is as important as ensuring conservation tillage.

Keywords: conservation tillage; sustainable crop production; crop quality; Vicia faba L.; crop residues (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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