The study looked at how soil water stress affects the growth of maize in Jilin Province. They found that maize emergence rate and yield are influenced by soil moisture levels, with higher moisture leading to better growth. Drought conditions significantly reduce emergence rate and yield. The study established models to predict how much emergence rate and yield decrease with decreasing soil moisture. The findings suggest that maintaining soil moisture levels between 22%-24% or 50-65 mm is optimal for maize growth, while levels below 19% or 35 mm lead to decreased growth. For every 1% decrease in soil moisture, emergence rate drops by about 6% and yield by about 7%. Similarly, a 10 mm decrease in available water content results in a 13% decrease in emergence rate and a 14% decrease in yield.