Climate change has increased the frequency of drought; water resource management strategies must be adopted to reduce water pressure and increase corn yield, enabling growers to implement sustainable water-saving technologies. Improving the spatiotemporal coordination between soil moisture, root growth, and root lodging resistance is crucial for maize growth. Therefore, we conducted field trials during 2022 and 2023 under three irrigation practices D: drip irrigation; F: flood irrigation; R: rainfed with two novel growth regulators G1: ethephon and cycocel (EC); G2: diethyl aminoethyl hexanoate (DA-6); and G3: EC+DA-6 combined applications. DG3 treatment, soil moisture, root biomass, and nutrient concentrations could be significantly improved, thus promoting root distribution, and nutrients absorption. DG3 treatment significantly improved the rooting system of the 60 cm upper soil profile. DG3 treatment significantly improved the root and stem exudates during the jointing and flowering stages. In the top of 0-60 cm, the root length density (RLD) and root surface area density (RSAD) of DG3 treatment were significantly higher during flowering and maturation stages. In addition, there was no significant change in RLD and RSAD in soil below 60 cm. Total lodging rate, root dry weight density, and root diameter occurred earlier under DG3 treatment, while TLR and RD under FG3 treatment were delayed. The average growth rate (C), maximum growth rage (cm) and maximum values (Wmax) of TRDW TRL, and ARD were significantly higher. DG3 treatment promoted the releases of several mineral components. In addition, DG3 treatment, it performed well in leaf water potential (Wl), and root water potential (Wr), there is a greater gradient between Wl, and Wr and lower crop water stress index. DG3 treatment increased RLD, RSAD, RVD, RWD, and root diameter, which contributed to root development and increased IWUE (55.7 %), irrigation water productivity (71.3 %), as a results significantly increasing (26.9 %) maize yield. In summary, DG3 treatment has great potential to improve maize yield by enhancing the spatial coordination between root distribution, and soil moisture movement.