Kimmo Rumpunen

Since 2020, I am an associate professor (docent) in horticultural science with a specialization in plant breeding. I hold a Master of Science in Horticulture (1990), and my PhD thesis (2001) focused on the domestication of Japanese quince. I have been employed at SLU since 1990, initially based at Balsgård and, since 2023, at Alnarp. I am currently responsible for the subject area Applied Genetics and Crop Genetic Improvement at the Department of Plant Breeding, and I am the leader of the Swedish apple breeding programme.

My research profile is applied in nature and concerns various aspects of plant breeding in horticultural crops, particularly the domestication and development of fruit and berry cultivars for cultivation in Sweden. I am especially interested in improving quality and disease-resistance traits in apple (Malus domestica) and blackcurrant (Ribes nigrum).

I am also interested in introducing and developing lesser-known fruit crop species that are suitable for sustainable cultivation and can be used for further processing into value-added products. Examples of such species include sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides) and Japanese quince (Chaenomeles japonica).

I investigate variation in valuable traits in fruits and berries, such as the content of health-promoting compounds—for example phenolics and vitamins—with the aim of developing future cultivars with even greater nutritional value.

Another focus of my work is on quality traits that make fruits and berries more suitable and appealing for consumption and beverage development. This includes, for example, breeding blackcurrant cultivars with a sweeter flavour and apple cultivars for dessert use as well as for juice and cider production.

I teach at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. In undergraduate education, I am primarily involved in the horticultural engineering programme and in the Master’s programme in Horticultural Science. I supervise and examine independent projects at the Bachelor’s and Master’s levels, and I also supervise PhD students.

I am responsible for the courses Experimental Cultivation (TD0018) and Botany, Nursery Production and Plant Habitat Knowledge (TD0020), both 15 credits.

I frequently contribute to courses for professionals in the beverage sector and have written numerous fact sheets on juice and cider production. I have also developed a MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) on Cider production – from fruit to finished product.