The project centers on combined stressors to uncover physiological and genetic defense mechanisms, addressing real-world constraints faced by smallholder farmers in East Africa.

Outputs will guide seed companies and national research bodies toward climate-resilient crops, marking a shift to AI-assisted proactive breeding rather than reactive farming.

International collaboration under the MultiStress initiative brings together JOOUST, the University of Göttingen, University of Tübingen, University of Hohenheim, and CIMMYT, hosting 15 PhD students to build global scientific capacity.

Researchers test six locally sourced maize varieties in 18 greenhouses to study responses to drought, nitrogen deficiency, stem borers, and fungal infections, using high-tech measurements and frequent lab analyses.

Local relevance is ensured by using Lake Victoria basin genotypes and partnering with Kenyan institutions to avoid cultural and ecological mismatches with imported varieties.

Funded by the German Research Foundation with about €5.4 million for 2026–2030, the MultiStress project investigates how maize copes with combined abiotic and biotic stresses to breed climate-resilient varieties.

Advanced crop modelling and machine learning drive ideotyping, enabling simulation of future scenarios and optimization of genotypes for evolving climate conditions.

By addressing multiple stressors concurrently, the project aims to prevent catastrophic harvest failures and bolster regional food security in Kenya and Sub-Saharan Africa.