The Spatial Distribution of Nutrients in the Soil, Their Uptake by Plants, and Green Bean (<i>Phaseolus vulgaris</i> L.) Yield Under the Strip-Tillage System

The cultivation of crops that enhance soil fertility, such as legumes, through the implementation of conservation tillage, is a strategy that may be highly effective in achieving sustainable agricultural objectives. A field study was conducted to examine the impact of soil tillage and fertilisation technology, employing strip-tillage (reduced tillage) and ploughing (conventional tillage), on the content of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), and magnesium (Mg) in two soil layers (0–20 and 20–40 cm), as well as in the sowing strip (row) and inter-row. Furthermore, the influence of the tillage on the availability and uptake of NPK and Mg by green beans (<i>Phaseolus vulgaris</i> L.), as well as on their shoot and root growth and the yield and its components, were evaluated. The experiment was performed in central northern Poland (53°05′6.4′′ N, 19°06′2.6′′ E) over two consecutive growing seasons of green beans in 2016 and 2017. This study revealed significant effects of strip-till and conventional tillage on the spatial distribution of plant-available nutrients in the soil, the content and uptake of these nutrients by plants during the growing season, shoot and root growth, and the pod yield of green beans. Using strip-tillage was demonstrated to increase the nitrogen content within the sowing strip, when compared to the inter-row. Furthermore, the technology resulted in higher nitrogen and potassium concentrations in the topsoil (0–20 cm), thereby enhancing the uptake of these nutrients by plants. The cultivation of <i>P. vulgaris</i> in a strip-till system resulted in more dry matter, longer shoots and roots, a higher number of pods per plant, and a higher yield of bean pods (27.3% greater than with the ploughing system). The impact of tillage was, however, found to be negligible when climatic conditions during the growing season were more conducive to the crop. This suggests that strip-till technology has a beneficial influence on green bean cultivation, particularly in the context of unfavourable meteorological conditions. With the increasing frequency of periods of water scarcity and higher temperatures, the employment of strip-till technology is recommended as a strategy for enhancing crop yields and advancing the sustainability of agricultural practices.