Chair of the Perrotis College Agro-Environmental Systems Management Department, Dr. Christos Vassilikiotis, spent more than a month at U.C. Davis doing research in Dr. Amélie Gaudin’s laboratory at the Plant Sciences Department.
His research focused on the influence of management practices on the colonization of mycorrhizal roots in commercial orchards of almond, cherry, plum and olive. The project aims to help identify soil management practices that are beneficial for the enhancement of mycorrhizal compounds and the diversity and function of microbial communities in orchards. It also aims to reduce inputs, while increasing the profits of fruit and fruit producers.
During his stay in the U.S., Dr. Vassilikiotis also participated in two Study Abroad exhibitions, one at Berkeley University and one at U.C. Davis, where he presented his research projects at Perrotis College.
Before returning to Greece, he was invited to the Evergreen State College where he presented his research on multiculturalists in the Mediterranean climate and his collaboration with U.C. Davis on the role of crop coverage in the colonization of myristic roots of commercial almonds. His presentation focused on how management practices can help mitigate the effects of climate change on agricultural productivity and how agriculture can help to isolate coal (removing carbon from the atmosphere and storing it in the soil as organic matter), thus reducing CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere.
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