• This study focussed on the effect of increasing nitrogen (N) supply on root uptake and root-to-shoot translocation of zinc (Zn) as well as retranslocation of foliar-applied Zn in durum wheat (Triticum durum). • Nutrient solution experiments were conducted to examine the root uptake and root-to-shoot translocation of ⁶⁵Zn in seedlings precultured with different N supplies. In additional experiments, the effect of varied N nutrition on retranslocation of foliar-applied ⁶⁵Zn was tested at both the vegetative and generative stages. • When N supply was increased, the ⁶⁵Zn uptake by roots was enhanced by up to threefold and the ⁶⁵Zn translocation from roots to shoots increased by up to eightfold, while plant growth was affected to a much smaller degree. Retranslocation of ⁶⁵Zn from old into young leaves and from flag leaves to grains also showed marked positive responses to increasing N supply. • The results demonstrate that the N-nutritional status of wheat affects major steps in the route of Zn from the growth medium to the grain, including its uptake, xylem transport and remobilization via phloem. Thus, N is a critical player in the uptake and accumulation of Zn in plants, which deserves special attention in biofortification of food crops with Zn.