Maize proteomic responses to separate or overlapping soil drought and two-spotted spider mite stresses.

In maize, leaf proteome responses evoked by soil drought applied separately differ from those evoked by mite feeding or both types of stresses occurring simultaneously. This study focuses on the involvement of proteomic changes in defence responses of a conventional maize cultivar (Bosman) to the two-spotted spider mite infestation, soil drought and both stresses coexisting for 6 days. Under watering cessation or mite feeding applied separately, the protein carbonylation was not directly linked to the antioxidant enzymes' activities.