Research interests
Timo is working as a Principal Research Scientist at the Genetics, Genomics & Breeding Department at NIAB EMR and as an Associate Professor at the Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Helsinki. His research focuses on the molecular control of reproductive development and environmental adaptation in strawberries using woodland strawberry as a model. His group applies population, quantitative and functional genomic methods to identify key genes and generates transgenic lines to validate gene functions.
Research projects
Temperature as a driver of climate adaptation: Duration: Sep 2018-August 2022; Partners: University of Helsinki; Funding: Academy of Finland
Genetic mapping of key genes controlling reproductive development in strawberry; Duration: Jan 2019-Dec 2020; Partners: University of Helsinki, NIAB EMR; Funding: Rikala Horticulture Foundation, Finland
Publications
Recent publications
Koskela E.A. and Hytönen T. Control of flowering in strawberries (2018) In: Hytönen T., Graham J. and Harrison R. (eds), The genomes of rosaceous berries and their wild relatives, p. 35-48. Springer, Cham.
Hytönen T., Pinho P., Rantanen M., Kariluoto S., Lampi A., Edelmann M., Joensuu K., Kauste K., Mouhu K., Piironen V., Halonen L. and Elomaa P. Effects of LED lighting spectra on lettuce (Lactuca sativa L. ‘Frillice’) growth and nutritional composition (2018) Lighting Research & Technology 50: 880-893.
Koskela E.A., Kurokura T., Toivainen T., Sønsteby A., Heide O.M., Sargent D.J., Isobe S., Jaakola L., Hilmarsson H., Elomaa P. and Hytönen T. Altered regulation of TERMINAL FLOWER 1 causes the unique vernalisation response in an arctic woodland strawberry accession (2017) New Phytologist 216: 841-853.
Kurokura T., Samad S., Mouhu K., Koskela E. and Hytönen T. Fragaria vesca CONSTANS controls photoperiodic flowering and vegetative development (2017) Journal of Experimental Botany 68: 4839-4850.
Samad S., Kurokura T., Toivainen T., Patel V., Sargent D.J. and Hytönen T. Additional QTLs on three chromosomes control flowering time in strawberry (2017) Horticulture Research 4: 17020.