Climatic change is an increasing challenge for agriculture that is driving the development of suitable crops in order to ensure supply for both human nutrition and animal feed. In this context, it is increasingly important to understand the biochemical responses of cells to environmental cues at the whole system level, an aim that is being brought closer by advances in high throughput, cost-efficient plant metabolomics. To support molecular breeding activities, we have assessed the economic, technical and statistical feasibility of using direct mass spectrometry methods to evaluate the physiological state of maize (Zea mays L.) plants grown under different stress conditions.

The data set contains direct injection electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (DIESI-MS) data of maize stem juices and a TOPPAS pipeline script for spectra processing. Plants suffered either drought stress or nitrogen limitation. Further a R script is provided which enables the data evaluation by hierarchical clustering.

Supplement to: García-Flores, Martín; Juárez-Colunga, Sheila; Montero-Vargas, Josaphat Miguel; López-Arciniega, Janet Ana Isabel; Chagolla, Alicia; Tiessen, Axel; Winkler, Robert (2012): Evaluating the physiological state of maize (Zea mays L.) plants by direct-injection electrospray mass spectrometry (DIESI-MS). Molecular BioSystems, 8(6), 1658-1660