A field experiment to assess influence of crop establishment and irrigation methods on nutrient uptake, post harvest available nutrients of bajra napier hybrid grass CO (BN) 5 was conducted during 2018-2019 at the Eastern block farm of the Department of Agronomy, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University – Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. The field was laid out in a strip plot design with three replications. Irrigation methods were imposed in main plot viz., M1: Surface irrigation, M2: Surface drip irrigation, M3: Subsurface drip irrigation, M4: Micro sprinkler irrigation and crop establishment methods in sub plot viz., S1: Vertical planting of setts with sett treatment, S2: Horizontal planting of setts with sett treatment, S3: Vertical planting of setts without sett treatment, S4: Horizontal planting of setts without sett treatment, S5: Vertical planting of two budded setts. Sett treatment adopted for the study was 12 hours water soaking followed by 24 hours incubation. The treatments S1 to S4 were adapted with single budded setts. The results on nutrient uptake showed significant difference on irrigation methods and crop establishment methods. Among irrigation methods significantly higher nitrogen (157.4 kg/ha), phosphorous (29.8 kg/ha) and potassium (88.2 kg/ha) uptake was recorded with subsurface drip irrigation (M3). In crop establishment methods, horizontal planting of setts with sett treatment registered higher nitrogen (155.9 kg/ha), phosphorus (29.1 kg/ha) and potassium (92.2 kg/ha) uptake. But, interaction effect between irrigation methods and crop establishment methods showed non-significant difference on nutrient uptake. In post harvest soil available nutrients, irrigation methods and crop establishment methods showed significant difference. Whereas interaction effect showed non-significant difference on post harvest available nutrients. With regarded to irrigation methods, significantly higher soil available nitrogen (172. 3 kg/ha), soil available phosphorus (22.2 kg/ha) and soil available potassium (591.5 kg/ha) was recorded with surface irrigation (M1). Among crop establishment methods, vertical planting of setts without sett treatment (S3) registered higher soil available nitrogen (172.1 kg/ha), soil available phosphorus (23.3 kg/ha) and soil available potassium (604.8 kg/ha). With this, it can be concluded that for irrigation method, subsurface drip irrigation (M3), and for crop establishment methods, horizontal planting of setts with sett treatment (S2) are the recommended practices for achieving better quality and nutrient uptake from bajra napier hybrid grass.

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