Alternative crops like chickpea could become of interest under Pannonian climate conditions in Central Europe due to forecasted changes in climate. Therefore a two-year trial was conducted to evaluate concentrations, uptake and yields of nitrogen (N) during crop growth of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) compared to pea (Pisum sativum L.), barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) and oat (Avena sativa L.) as affected by N fertilization with either calcium ammonium nitrate (CAN) or the depot fertilizer Basacote® Plus 6M (DF) in eastern Austria. Chickpea had the lowest above-ground dry matter (AGDM) and N yields among the four crops in 2006; however, it could gain higher AGDM and N yields than those of barley and oat under drought conditions in 2007. N concentrations and N yields throughout crop growth were increased by increasing rates of N fertilization (with CAN showing generally higher values than DF). Chickpea had a high crop N uptake rate and a high relative N uptake rate even under drought conditions. Thus, results indicated that chickpea could be an alternative crop in dry environments for achieving reasonably N yields in Central European growing conditions