In the Midsouthern US, maize is typically sown in rows 75 to 100 cm apart, early in spring once the risk of freeze damage is minimal. Hybrids generally reach physiological maturity (black layer) 110 to 120 days after emergence during the first 3 weeks of August, which often exposes the crop to drought during grain filling and results in a high irrigation requirement. We evaluated 24 to 39 maize hybrids under irrigated conditions at three locations in Arkansas for two years. Hybrids were blocked by maturity with maturity group (MG) I hybrids maturing in 75 to 85 days, MG II hybrids maturing in 86 to 95 days, MG III hybrids maturing in 96 to 105 days, and MG IV hybrids maturing in 106 to 120 days. All hybrids were sown in 50-cm rows, and seeding rates were 11.1 (MG I through III) and 7.4 kernels m^-2 (MG IV). Depending upon the environment, full-season hybrids required three to six more irrigations than early-season hybrids. In general, MG I and II hybrids had yields that were substantially less than MG III and IV hybrids. Over all environments, hybrids from MG III had the highest yields. In Fayetteville in 2005, there was at least one hybrid from each MG with yields >12 Mg ha^-1. Within each MG there was considerable variation in yield, but there was strong correlation among environments of hybrid yield. The average yield of MG II hybrids was less than average yields of MG IV hybrids, but surprisingly, the top-ranked MG II hybrid had yields similar to the top-ranked MG IV hybrid for each environment. These results indicate that specific short-season maize hybrids have similar yield potential as full-season hybrids when grown in the Midsouth but require substantially less irrigation.