Context or Problem: Straw mulching regulates soil water and heat balance under semi-arid conditions, while skiprow planting helps to alleviate crop drought stress and facilitate mechanized production. Straw mulching on skip rows could increase soil moisture content but decrease soil temperature, however, it is little knowledge on if straw mulching amount and skip row growing maize could coordinatively improve maize productivity and sustainability under semi-arid conditions. Objective or Research Question: The study aims to find the most appropriate straw mulching amount to balance the relationship between the soil moisture content improvement and soil warming, in order to achieve yield advantages. Methods: A field experiment was conducted over five years (2016-2020) comparing four straw mulch amounts: 0, 3, 6 and 9 t ha-1 (M0, M3, M6, M9). The maize was grown in a skip-row system in which two out of three rows were planted while the third row was skipped to apply straw mulch. The skip row changes every year. Results: Compared to the no mulch control, all three mulch treatments significantly increased crop yield (on average over 5 years 19.5 % in M3, 23.2 % in M6, and 14.1 % in M9). Yield benefits were greater in years with less rainfall. Soil water content in M6 and M9 was significantly higher than in M0, and temperature fluctuations in the topsoil were moderated compared to M0. Conclusions: Among various mulching amounts tested, a recommended amount for optimal results is 6 t ha-1. However, the yield-enhancing effect of straw-mulched skip row tends to diminish as precipitation levels increase. Implications or Significance: Our results demonstrates that straw mulch application in skip-row maize could increase crop productivity and regional sustainability under climate change in water-limited environments.