A field experiment was conducted in a split-plot design at ICAR-Indian Institute of Maize Research during 2022-23 and 2023-24 to study the impact of tillage practices and nitrogen placement methods (NPM) on wheat growth and yield in a maize-wheat system. The main plot treatments consisted of Zero tillage with residue retention (ZT+R), Zero tillage (ZT), and Conventional tillage (CT). Four NPMs were assigned to subplots: Control, Recommended Dose of N (RDN), Improved RDN, and Improved 80% RDN. ZT+R resulted in higher plant height (9.06-10.34%), dry matter accumulation (5.49-9.71%), and leaf area index (3.1-13.82%) compared to CT during 30-120 DAS. Yield attributes like effective tillers/m2, spikelets/spike, and spike weight were significantly higher in ZT+R than CT by 7.89, 7.34, and 16.91%, respectively. Grain, stover, and biological yields were also found significantly lower in CT than ZT+R by 8.97, 8.42, and 8.64%, respectively. Improved RDN reported significantly higher growth, yield attributes, and yield than RDN, with significant increases in grain, stover, and biological yields by 8.72, 6.59, and 7.54%, respectively. Yields in RDN and improved 80% RDN were similar, indicating a 20% nitrogen saving due to subsurface placement of N. The study concludes that combining ZT+R with subsurface nitrogen placement can enhance wheat yield attributes and yields while reducing environmental degradation by minimizing nitrogen doses.