Phaeoacremonium hungaricum, a species causing grapevine wood necrosis in Iraq

This paper describes the symptoms caused by Phaeoacremonium hungaricum Essakhi, Mugnai, Surico & P.W. Crous on grapevine seedlings observed in pathogenicity tests. The tested isolate was obtained from a 15 to 20-year-old grapevine in the Duhok province, Kurdistan region, Iraq. It was identified based on morphological characters and phylogenetic inferences using ITS sequences. Disease symptoms included interveinal chlorosis progressing to necrosis, defoliation, wilting, and shoot-tip dieback. Additionally, dark brown to black streaking became evident in artificially wounded shoots approximately two months post-inoculation. This is the first report of Phaeoacremonium hungaricum causing young vine decline in Iraq.