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Maize (Zea mays L.) is the third most important crop of country after rice and wheat and is cultivated round the year. Its grain is used as feed, food and industrial raw material. Enormous progress has been made during last six decades to enhance yield potential through genetic improvement and alleviate effects due to various biotic- and abiotic-stresses. This review presents an overview of strategies followed in genetic improvement of maize and assesses their impact on productivity and production of the crop. A diverse range of indigenous and exotic germplasm and breeding material have been utilized. Breeding programme has been very vibrant and various strategies viz., composite breeding, double cross, three way cross and single-cross hybrid breeding have been adopted in cultivar development to enhance productivity across a range of production ecologies. Since 2000, more than 165 high-yielding …