Georgios Vidalakis

Dr. Vidalakis completed his undergraduate studies in 1998 at the Agricultural University of Athens, Greece with concentration in plant protection and environment and specialization in plant virology. He became the director of Citrus Clonal Protection Program (CCPP) in the summer of 2005 a year after earning his Ph.D. from the Department of Plant Pathology at the University of California, Riverside, where he was the recipient of the Special Dean’s Fellowship Award for the duration of his doctoral studies. Funded by the Citrus Research Board, California Citrus Nursery Board, California Department Food and Agriculture, and the United States Department of Agriculture, Dr. Vidalakis has developed a diverse research and extension program that is serving all citrus producing states in the US via the citrus germplasm services of the National Clean Plant Network (NCPN) and the CCPP.

As an Extension Specialist Dr. Vidalakis has been working directly with the citrus industry, growers and nurseries, at a state and national level. His service to the citrus industry include, but is not limited to, the organization of industry supported events (e.g. Meeting the Challenge of the Asian Citrus Psyllid in Nurseries), participation in key industry organizations and committees (e.g. California Citrus Quality Council-Citrus Pest Management Strategic Plan) as well as state and national panels and workgroups (e.g. Recovery Plans for the National Plant Disease Recovery System and National Plant Diagnostic Network STAR-D Board).

As a researcher, Dr. Vidalakis has developed a program focused on the study of graft-transmissible pathogens of citrus with emphasis on viruses, viroids, and bacteria. Mixed viral infection and their effect to biodiagnosis of citrus diseases as well as the biological activity, molecular properties and intrapopulation structure of citrus viroids have been part of his work. He is also focusing on citrus diseases, such as Huanglongbing (HLB), and citrus associated microbes and their potential beneficial impacts on citrus production as well as the optimization of the functions of citrus germplasm programs, which include: diagnostics (bioindexing and laboratory), therapy (shoot tip grafting and thermotherapy), production, and distribution of citrus propagative materials (foundation blocks and variety management).

Dr. Vidalakis is also participating in several national and international programs. He is the Chair of the Citrus Network of the National Clean Plant Network (NCPN) for Specialty Crops and he is a member of the Laboratory Accreditation Board STAR-D of the USDA National Plant Diagnostic Network (NPDN). He is a member of the Viroid Study Group of the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) and he serves as the secretary and 2019 Chair-Elect of the International Organization of Citrus Virologists (IOCV).