A simple and accurate ion chromatography method for the determination of nitrate in 2,0 M KC1 soil extracts is described. The method can be carried out on a commercially available chromatograph using a reverse phase column with tetrabutylammonium hydrogen sulphate as the mobile phase. Ultraviolet absorbance at 220 nm was used to quantify the nitrate. Statistical analyses showed that nitrate values obtained for 30 soils by this chromatographic method agree closely with those obtained by a colorimetric method. A notable advantage of this method is the direct determination of nitrate by ion chromatography in the most commonly used extractant