During the years 1994–1999 the energy efficiency of three methods for medium soil cultivation (tillage, no tillage and direct sowing) applied for three-field rotation with faba bean – winter wheat – spring barley was assessed. The highest energy input was required when this soil crop was cultivated according to the traditional method and the lowest when applying no tillage method. The cultivation technique for horse bean and spring barley required the most energy as opposed to winter wheat. On the basis of energy effectiveness index it was established that the traditional tillage technique was most suitable, while direct sowing was least suitable for the cultivation of the crops studied. Simplification of cultivation, particularly introduction of direct sowing, as compared to the traditional tillage cultivation, caused that the share of technical equipment and fuel in the structure of energy inputs decreased while the share of pesticide expenditures increased.