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Increasing maize production is vital for contributing to smallholder farmers' food security since it ranks second in production after wheat. However, the decline in soil fertility is a marked constraint to crop productivity in developing countries, particularly in maize production. Recently, organic amendments through liquid bio-slurry enhanced maize productivity and improved food security via changes in soil physico-chemical properties for smallholder farmers in developing countries like Ethiopia. However, the utilization of liquid bio-slurry as an organic amendment has not been extensively investigated in the study areas. Therefore, field experiments were conducted at two sites to determine the optimum combination of inorganic N and liquid bio-slurry for improving maize productivity. A factorial combination of two mineral N (0 and 46 kg ha-1) and five liquid bio-slurry (0, 6, 12, 18 and 24 t ha-1) rates were used in a randomized complete block design with three replications. The results revealed that the combined use of N and liquid bio-slurry improved the growth and yield of maize in the two experimental sites. Plant height, ear length, number of rows per ear, number of kernels per ear, above-ground dry biomass, hundred-grain weight, grain yield and straw yield of maize were all improved by applying 46 kg N ha-1 along with 18 t liquid bio-slurry ha-1. The highest grain yield (8.12 t ha-1) was achieved from the combined application of 46 kg N ha-1 with 18 t liquid bio-slurry ha-1. Thus, using 46 kg N ha-1 with 18 t liquid bio-slurry ha-1 is highly recommended to increase the yield of maize. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]