Faba Bean (Vicia faba L.) physiological, biochemical and agronomic traits responses to tillage systems under rainfed Mediterranean conditions

Conservation tillage practices, especially no-till, can improve soil quality, productivity, and environmental protection compared to conventional tillage practices. This research evaluated the impact of different tillage practices: deep ploughing (DP), chisel ploughing (CP), minimum till (MT), and no-till (NT) on faba bean (Vicia faba L.) agronomic, physiological, and biochemical traits. The experiment was implemented on a vertisol under Mediterranean conditions during two cropping seasons (2019–2020 and 2020–2021). The experimental design was a randomized complete block with three replications. The results revealed a significant effect on faba bean grain yield (GY) and its components: above-ground biomass (AGB), number of pods plant− 1 (NPP), 100-kernel weight (100-KW) and number of grains plant− 1 (NGPT). No-till showed the highest grain yield (1087 kg ha− 1) compared to conventional tillage (806 kg ha− 1). Tillage systems significantly influenced production and nodulation at the flowering stage, with the highest biomass production found under conventional tillage (11.750 kg ha− 1). No-till significantly increased the number (68) and dry weight (1.34 g) of nodules compared to other practices. The highest stomatal conductance was registered under conventional tillage compared to no-till. However, the maximum chlorophyll content appeared under no-till. Regarding proline and betaines content, it decreased significantly under no-till except for sugars, which increased compared to other practices. Results concluded that the application of no-till was more beneficial for improving faba bean yield. © The Author(s) under exclusive licence to Society for Plant Research 2024.