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Phytoviruses Infecting Important Vegetable Crops in Iraq: A Review

Sep 2026 · Scientia. Technology, Science and Society · 0 citations · 9 references

Abstract

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.

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