In a three-year study in a dry area in China, different ways of watering maize were tested to find options that save water and increase profits. By comparing traditional border irrigation with furrow and drip methods, they discovered that drip irrigation at a certain level (−30 kPa) was the best for growing maize, increasing profits by 23%, reducing water use by 57%, and raising yields by 15%. Using a slightly reduced amount of water in furrow irrigation (360 mm) also gave good results, keeping yields and profits high while using 31% less water than the control method. This research shows that changing the way water is applied can make maize farming more efficient and profitable in dry regions.