Summary:

The basket willow, commonly known as wicker, has for ages been used as raw material for weaving baskets, as a filtrating medium or for pharmaceutical needs. One of the most important uses of the plant are the hydraulic engineering and - present on larger scale for several years in Poland - as energetic raw material. Among the unquestionable advantages of the willow are fast biomass growth, relatively high immunity from diseases and pests, and the possibility to use its sticks and rods, which are cut off for caring purposes, for power generation. Due to such qualities, the willow should be more frequently used in economical development of the environment, also as a substitute for other plants.
The plant-derived-fuels are undoubtedly the energetic future the World. This decided not only by the finite nature of traditional, mining energy resources, but also due to the cost of production and generation of power from biomass, and first of all due to ecological aspects. The present paper focuses on the alternative cultivation of energetic plants (natural cultivation), which - in the author's opinion - will largely contribute to propagation of clean energy production and consequently improve the condition of natural environment. According to analysis of the results from test sites where the basket willow was grown, such form of cultivation is economically justifiable, and the results presented indicate that further study of this subject is advisable. The tests were carried out in 2004 in the territory of Krakow Commune.
Based on the examination of the number of accepted basket willow cuttings, the types of favourable ecosystems for growth of the plant have been determined, and the cutting diameter has been established, which decides on a larger number of plant specimens accepted. It has been concluded that arable areas located close to water ecosystems, meadows and fields, with soils of neutral pH and rich in potassium (better rooting of cuttings) are most favourable for natural cultivation of basket willow. The diameter of cuttings planted should exceed 12 mm. No acceptance expectations are met while planting the willow in close vicinity to roadways, in loose and alkali soil, which is rich in potassium and magnesium, regardless of the cutting diameter used in the tests.