Drought stress is one of the most important constraints in crop production, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions of the world. Seed priming and foliar application of growth hormones, osmolytes and nutrients is an important tool to decrease the drastic effects of drought stress. The effects of thiourea in improving drought tolerance in maize were studied from 2010-12. Four green house and one field experiment was carried out at Research Area of Agronomy Department. First experiment was screening trial in which seven maize hybrids (32F10, 32B33, 33H25, 3335, 34N43, 6142, 6525) were sown under three water regimes (80% WHC, 6O% WHC, 40% WHC). Among seven hybrids, 34N43 recorded vigorous germination, maximum growth and improved water relations under stress as well as under well watered conditions and hybrid 32F10 recorded least vigorous germination, growth and water relations. So on the basis of screening trial hybrid 32F10 was selected as sensitive and hybrid 34N43 as tolerant to drought stress for further studies. Three green house experiments with different levels of thiourea application were conducted. In first experiment four levels of thiourea (200mg/l, 400mg/l, 600mg/l, 800mg/l) was applied through seed treatment under two water regimes (80% WHC, 40% WHC). Seed treatment with TU increased growth under normal and drought stress conditions and improved water relations, increased proline contents, decreased MDA content and electrolyte leakage and increased the activities of antioxidant enzymes in both the hybrids, however effect was more pronounced in hybrid 34N43 than 32F10 and 800 mg/l TU proved to be best for seed treatment. In rooting medium again TU increased shoot length, root dry weight, shoot dry weight, leaf area, improved water relations and increased proline contents, decreased electrolyte leakage and MDA content. In third experiment three thiourea levels (500mg/l,1000mg/l,1500mg/l) were applied through foliar application. Foliar application of TU increased plant biomass, increased water potential, turgor potential and relative contents. One field experiment was conducted in which tensiometers were used for measuring soil water potential and irrigation was made on Lthe basis of tensiometer reading. Thiourea levels and its method of application for field experiment were decided on the basis of green house experiments. From seed treatment experiment, 800 mg/l TU was best treatment and from foliar application, 1500mg/l TU was best. These two treatments were used in field experiment along with dry seed sowing and distilled water foliar application using as control. The experiment was laid out in randomized complete block design with split-split arrangement using four replications. Data regarding various agronomic, physiological and biochemical traits of crop were recorded using standard procedures available in the literature. The present study suggests that seed priming with TU and its foliar application not only improved water relations, increased growth, nutrients uptake and yield of maize crop under water stress but also improved performance of maize under normal availability of water.