This study had two principal objectives. The first was to verify whether five solutions evaluated for extracting multiple plant nutrients from soils could also be utilized to determine soil nitrate levels. The second goal was to ascertain whether nitrate could be determined potentiometrically in these solutions using the nitrate‐sensitive electrode and colorimetrically as nitrite using an automated copper—cadmium reduction procedure. The following five solutions having possible multi‐element extraction capability were studied: 1, 0.25NHOAc; 2, O.5NHOAc; 3, 0.25NHOAc + 0.015NNH4F (Kelowna extractant); 4, Kelowna + 0.001NEDTA; and 5, Kelowna + 0.005MDTPA. Reference soil nitrate values were obtained by steam distillation after reduction of NO3to NH4with Devarda alloy in 2NKCl extracts. The procedures were evaluated by comparing analytical values obtained with the electrode on colorimetric method with those obtained by steam distillation by means of linear correlation and regression techniques. Analytical data from soils containing from 6 to 240 ug NO3‐N/mL were utilized for the comparison. The potentiometric method was tried with solutions 1, 2, and 3, while the colorimetric procedure was verified with solutions 3, 4, and 5. Results indicated that nitrate was determined accurately by potentiometric means provided extracts were diluted with 0.05% w/v Ag2SO4to suppress chloride‐ion interference. Acetate, carbonate and bicarbonate ions did not appear to affect nitrate electrode readings at the prevailing extracting solution pH. Results also indicated that soil nitrate was extracted and determined accurately by colorimetric means using solutions 3, 4, and 5. These conclusions were indicated by the regression parameters calculated for the relationships between the NO3values obtained with the different tested solutions and determination methods and the standard procedure. Accordingly, the slopes, Sy.Xvalues, and correlation coefficients for the relationships varied between 0.97 to 1.02, were lower than 4 ug N/mL soil, and above 0.97**, respectively.