Abstract: Appropriate tillage and mulching practices can reduce soil evaporation and crop evapotranspiration, hence save irrigation water. Three widely used tillage methods, tillage (T treatment), stubble mulching without tillage (C treatment) and stubble burning without tillage (B treatment) were chosen to analysis the effect of these methods on soil water, soil evaporation, crops' growth, silage maize yield and water productivity. The results showed that with less rainfall amount in the 2010 season, soil water content in 0-20 cm in Treatment C was higher than those in T and B treatments. The amount of soil water stored in 0-120 soil layer in C treatment was higher than those in T and B treatments in both seasons. Soil evaporation in C treatment was the least as compared to the other two treatments. Silage maize yields under C treatment were higher by 11% and 9%, and water productivity was higher by 11.7% and 14.8% as compared to T and B treatments, respectively. In a conclusion, stubble mulching without tillage was a appropriate practice for reducing soil evaporation and increasing water productivity, and then was recommended as a optimal tillage practice for maize cultivation in Beijing area.