Effects of Cropping Systems and Tillage Systems on Yield Formation and Grain Quality of Winter Wheat Under the Conditions of Central Poland

Abstract

Winter wheat productivity and grain quality are affected by crop rotation and soil tillage, but their combined long-term effects remain insufficiently documented for the conditions of central Poland. A three-year experiment (2020/2021–2022/2023) compared two long-term cropping systems established in 2011, an integrated four-field and an intensive three-field rotation differing in crop sequence, fertilisation and plant-protection intensity, each with conventional mouldboard ploughing (CT), reduced tillage (RT) and strip-till (ST). The intensive system yielded significantly more than the integrated one (7929.3 vs. 6800.2 kg ha−1, +16.6%; p < 0.001), mainly through more grains per spike (41.41 vs. 37.13; p < 0.001). RT gave the highest mean yield (7780.2 kg ha−1), exceeding CT and ST by 8.8% and 8.7% (p < 0.01), respectively. Relative to CT, wet gluten content increased by 5.8% under RT and 5.6% under ST, and the Zeleny sedimentation value increased by 7.9% and 6.4% (p ≤ 0.05); the sedimentation value was also higher in the intensive system (39.88 vs. 37.25 mL; p < 0.001). Starch content and test weight did not differ significantly. Reduced tillage improved productivity, while reduced soil disturbance supported selected quality traits; because the systems differed in several management components, these represent system-level effects.