Sixteen white open pollinated populations of maize were evaluated in 1995 and 1996 season at Sids Agric. Res. Station of the ARC, Egypt under 5 soil moisture regimes (4 stressed and one non-stressed environments). The objectives were to: 1- identify maize traits strongly associated with yield under water stress to be used as selection criteria for reliable screening drought tolerant genotypes; 2- to estimate the heritability under different soil moisture  regimes and  3- to compare  these moisture regimes as evaluation environments based on expected genetic advance from direct and indirect selection.             Results suggested that the strogest association with absolute  yield under drought stress environments was negative for days to 50% silking, anthesis to silking interval (ASI), leaf/air temperature and barren stalks (%). Moreover, such association was positive for ears/plant and kernels/row. Thus, these triats were considered as useful selection criteria for screening maize  genotypes for their drought tolerance if phenotypic correlation reflects positive relationships at the genetic level.             Heritability estimates under drought stress environments for grain yield, number of kernels/row, leaf/air temperature and leaf rolling were lower but those for ASI, ears/plant and stay green traits were higher than those estimates under non-stressed environment.             The prediction gain  from direct selection in either stress or non-stress environments was greater than that from indirect selection in either stress or non-stress environments for all studied traits (ASI, leaf rolling, leaf temperature, stay green, ears/plant and grain yield). Maximum genetic advance from direct selection for grain yield was obtained from the stressed environments at flowering stage.