At the Experimental Station of the Institute of Soil Science and Plant Cultivation in Jelcz-Laskowice, the Lower Silesia, three tillage systems have been compared in field experiments carried out on lessive soil developed from heavy loamy sand since 1993. Conventional tillage – ploughing to a depth of 25-30 cm and additional cultivation of soil for sowing with the use of traditional tools; reduced tillage – with the use of a cultivator to a depth of 10-15 cm and additional tillage with a sowing set; zero-tillage – direct sowing into untilled soil. In 2006-2009 the cultivated plants included: pea, spring barley, oat and spring wheat. In spring, physical properties of soil were determined. Long-term simplifications in tillage caused slower soil warming in spring and its higher bulk density. They did not unambiguously affect soil moisture, but they influenced increase of phosphorus and potassium content in the surface layer of soil. However, long-term simplifications in tillage caused decrease in the plant yield.

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