Highlights • Elevated CO 2 (+50% higher than ambient) increased wheat grain yield by 17% in subtropical Eastern India. • Crop growth rate, leaf biomass and N fractions and agronomic efficiency tended to increase with CO 2 elevation. • Response of wheat grain yield to increased N fertilizer dose was higher under elevated CO 2 than ambient environment. • Inter-annual weather variabilities imparted significant effect on wheat growth and grain yield. Abstract Elevated CO 2 might have differential impact on the growth, development, and yield of wheat under varying nutrient management, especially in a warmer climate when the global atmospheric temperature is already increasing. Field experiments were conducted in subtropical Eastern India during the rabi seasons of 2014–2016 to study the performance of wheat under the elevated CO 2 environment with different nitrogen (N) management. Wheat was grown in open field and inside open top chambers (OTCs) with ambient (˜390 μmol mol−1) and elevated (˜585 μmol mol−1) level of CO 2 without any fertilizer addition (N0), and with application of N through chemical fertilizer (CF) at normal (100%) recommendation [N100(CF)] and 50% higher dose [N150(CF)] and through integration of organic and chemical fertilizer [N150(OF + CF)]. Results showed that CO 2 enrichment had a positive effect on various growth parameters and yield attributes of wheat. Elevated CO 2 tended to increase the crop growth rate and the fraction of leaf biomass and leaf N, especially for the N management using chemical fertilizer [N100(CF) and N150(CF)]. Elevated CO 2 [+˜200 μmol mol−1] caused 17% increase in wheat grain yield above ambient as averaged over the N fertilized treatments. Application of N at 50% higher dose than normal through CF did not increase the grain yield significantly under the open field and OTC with ambient [CO 2 ] environment, whereas the yield increment was significant under the elevated [CO 2 ] environment. Elevated CO 2 also resulted in higher agronomic N use efficiency and nitrogen harvest index with the increased N fertilizer dose. Thus, wheat production under the elevated CO 2 environment in Eastern India might be maintained or improved through the normal and increased dose of N fertilizer application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]