A greenhouse experiment to test the relationship between the oxygen status of soil and the macroelement content was conducted. N-NH4+, N-NO3-, P and K content in the soil under oxygen stress conditions depend on the stage of barley development. It seems that the more preferable mineral form of nitrogen during the shooting stage was nitrate. Oxygen stress (flooded conditions) distinctly decreased the uptake of all the elements, but two higher densities of soil combined only with a flooded condition, significantly lowered the rate of the decrease of concentrations as well as of N-NH4+ and P and in the case of the highest density also that of K. A decrease of all nutrient concentration was lower under conditions of high water content accompanied by low-redox potential and oxygen availability. The most sensitive element with respect to water content was phosphorus (r=-0.380***), the least sensitive was N-NO3(r=-0.14**). The influence of redox potential and oxygen diffusion rate on absorption of NH4+, NO3-, P and K showed a positive correlation in all the cases investigated. The highest correlation was observed in the P uptake. The critical ODR value (about 35 ľg m-2s-1) was confirmed under investigated conditions by the supposed uptake of all the elements studied.