Efficient irrigation management is essential for enhancing maize productivity under water-limited conditions, particularly in semi-arid regions where resource constraints and suboptimal agronomic practices restrict yield potential. In view of the above, a field experiment was conducted during the Rabi season of 2025-26 at the SRM College of Agricultural Sciences, Baburayanpettai, Chengalpattu, Tamil Nadu, India, to evaluate the influence of row spacing and emitter discharge rate under subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) on the growth and yield performance of hybrid maize. The experiment was laid out in a Randomized Block Design with three replications, comprising eight treatments involving combinations of row spacing (30, 45, and 60 cm) and emitter discharge rates (2 and 4 LPH) under SDI, along with surface drip irrigation and conventional irrigation. The results revealed significant variation among treatments. Invariably, treatment 45/75 cm spacing with 2 LPH under SDI (T2) consistently registered higher leaf area index, stem girth and dry matter production, which translated into enhanced yield attributes such as cob length, cob girth, cob weight and kernel number. Consequently, T2 produced the highest grain yield (7256 kg/ha) and stover yield (12797 kg/ha). This is followed closely by the treatment 45/75 cm crop row spacing with 4 LPH under SDI (T5). The improved performance under these treatments can be attributed to optimal plant geometry coupled with efficient and continuous moisture and nutrient supply to the root zone, resulting in better physiological activity and assimilate partitioning. Overall, the study highlights that subsurface drip irrigation with 45/75 cm row spacing and 2 LPH emitter discharge is an effective strategy for maximizing growth and yield of hybrid maize under water-scarce conditions.