Water deficit is one of the major limitations in harvesting potential crop yields. Exogenous application of polyamines and crop nutrition may help in improving the crop productivity under water limited conditions. During this study, consisted of three pot and two field experiments, the role of polyamines and nitrogen application for improving the maize performance under different soil moisture regimes was investigated. In first pot experiment, maize hybrids Pioneer 30-Y-87, Pioneer 31-R-88, Pioneer 32-W-86, Pioneer 3025 and Pioneer 3062 were grown in plastic pots maintained at 80, 60, 40 and 20% water holding capacity (WHC) for screening against drought. Performance of maize hybrid Pioneer 31-R-88 was better (in terms of seedling biomass, leaf area and leaf water status), so was selected as drought resistant; whereas, performance of Pioneer 30-Y-87 was poor and was designated as drought sensitive. In second and third pot experiments, conducted for optimizing the levels and methods of polyamines application, 0.1, 0.01 and 0.001 mM polyamines (putrescine, spermidine and spermine) were exogenously applied as seed treatment and were foliar sprayed on maize hybrids Pioneer 31-R-88 (drought resistant) and Pioneer 30-Y-87 (drought sensitive) sown at 80 and 40% soil WHC. Although application of all polyamines, both as seed treatment and foliar spray, at all rates substantially improved the seedlings vigor, leaf area and leaf water status at both soil moisture regimes in both the tested hybrids; however, application at 0.1mM of all polyamines was more effective. In two years field experiments, two maize hybrids Pioneer 31-R-88 and Pioneer 30-Y-87 were grown at three moisture regimes viz. -15, -30 and -45 kPa. In first field experiment, 0.1 mM each of putrescine, spermidine and spermine were foliage applied. In second field experiment, nitrogen was applied as basal dose, half as basal dose +half at knee height, half as basal dose + half at tasseling, half at knee height +half at tasseling and one third as basal dose + one third at knee height +one third at tasseling. Foliage application of 0.1 mM putrescine was the most effective and economical to improve the maize productivity under normal and water deficit conditions. Nitrogen application in three splits (one third as basal dose + one third at knee height +one third at tasseling) was the most effective and economical to harvest good maize crop. In crux, application of 0.1mM putrescine and nitrogen in three splits improved the productivity and water economy of hybrid maize in water-limited environments.