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The aims of the study were to analyse the concentration of nitrate and ammonium ions in soil solutions obtained using MacroRhizon miniaturized composite suction cups under field conditions and to determine potential nitrogen leaching from soil fertilized with three types of fertilizers (standard urea, slow-release urea, and ammonium nitrate) at the doses of 90 and 180 kg ha−1, applied once or divided into two rates. During a 3-year growing experiment with sugar sorghum, the concentration of nitrate and ammonium ions in soil solutions was the highest with standard urea fertilization and the lowest in variants fertilized with slow-release urea for most of the months of the growing season. Higher concentrations of both nitrogen forms were noted at the fertilizer dose of 180 kg ha−1. One-time fertilization, at both doses, resulted in higher nitrate concentrations in June and July, while dividing the dose into two rates resulted in higher nitrate concentrations between August and November. The highest potential for nitrate leaching during the growing season was in July. The tests confirmed that the miniaturized suction cups MacroRhizon are highly useful for routine monitoring the concentration of nitrate and ammonium ions in soil solutions under field conditions.

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In 2019–2020, a study was conducted to evaluate the suitability of willow composts as a substrate or substrate component in tomato transplant cultivation. In 2019, 4-year-old chopped willow biomass (mostly chips <2 cm long) was formed into four compost prisms: S0—willow compost without additives; SN—willow compost with the addition of nitrogen; SF—willow compost with the addition of wood-decaying mycelium; and SFN—willow compost with the addition of wood-decaying mycelium and nitrogen. Willow compost was rated as a homogeneous substrate (S0, SN, SF, and SFN) and as a substrate component with peat (P), mixed in willow:peat ratios such as 25:75, 50:50, and 75:25, in the variants S0:P, SN:P, SF:P, and SFN:P. For reference, deacidified peat was used as a homogeneous substrate. The study showed that willow compost could be used as a renewable plant material replacing peat. The best parameters (plant height, leaf span, number of leaves, and especially the highest weight) were found in tomato transplants grown in the SF:P and SFN:P substrates and at a 25:75 ratio. It was found that the addition of nitrogen to the compost, in order to obtain a wide C:N ratio, negatively affected the initial growth of tomato plants.

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