Agricultural productivity in Iraq is severely affected by a variety of viral pathogens posing a significant threat to food security in the Mesopotamian plains. This article reviews the viruses affecting key vegetable crops, from the widespread Solanaceae and Cucurbitaceae to legumes and bulbs. Within the Solanaceae family, which covers more than 64,000 hectares of land, twenty-five different viruses within ten genera have been identified. Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl Virus (TYLCV) is the most economically damaging, capable of destroying up to 75% of fruit weight in major production centers such as Baghdad, Mosul, and Basra. Cucurbit production faces similar pressures from pathogens such as Cucumber Mosaic Virus (CMV) and Zucchini Yellow Mosaic Virus (ZYMV), with infection rates often reaching 100% in some fields during peak aphid infestation seasons. By integrating decades of biological, serological, and molecular data, this review elucidates the transmission dynamics involving primary vectors. These findings underscore the ongoing challenges of virus management in Iraq’s agricultural sector and highlight the urgent need to monitor local vector populations and imported seed stocks to mitigate further economic losses.
Odeh, W.H., M.A. Sweiss, F.W. Haj Ahmad and L. Irshaid. 2026. Plant Viruses Affecting Major Vegetable Crops of the
Families Solanaceae and Cucurbitaceae in Jordan: A Review. Arab Journal of Plant Protection, 44(1):1-12.
https://doi.org/10.22268/AJPP-001367 Jordan is a country that has limited water resources and agricu...
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Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is an oilseed crop that contributes to food security and generates income for farmers in Africa. Unfortunately, this crop is susceptible to a wide range of viral foliar diseases reported across West Africa, including in Burkina Faso, and these diseases can result in substantial yield losses...
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Potato virus Y (PVY: genus Potyvirus, family Potyviridae) is recognized as one of the most important pathogens of potato, tobacco, tomato and pepper crops worldwide. This review discusses the economic importance, evolution, epidemiology, diagnosis, and control of PVY in solanaceous crops. In addition, the challenges an...
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Tomato crop in Moldova is threatened by ˈCandidatus Phytoplasma solaniˈ, a phloem-limited pathogen transmitted by insect vectors. Local tomato varieties were screened by nested-PCR during ten years (2016–2024). Results showed clear variety-dependent susceptibility. Variety Cerasus displayed stable partial resistance (<...
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Garlic (Allium sativum L.) is propagated predominantly through cloves, a production practice that enables viruses to persist and accumulate in seed stocks across successive cropping cycles and increases the risk of viral spread within and between countries. The garlic virus disease complex is associated with a diverse...
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