Decoding Viral Threats: Understanding ToBRFV and PepMV Impact on Tomato Production in Iraq

This study examined the occurrence of Tobamovirus fructirugosum (ToBRFV) and Potexvirus pepini (PepMV) in tomato fields in Iraq. For three successive cropping seasons (2020 to 2023), Iraq’s main tomato production area was surveyed to assess the damage caused by the two newly emerged viruses upon infecting tomato fields. Also, the impact of viral infection on common tomato cultivars and test the transmission through tomato seeds. A total of 200 samples of tomato were collected from Basrah, Nasiriya, Najaf, Kerbala, Babylon, Baghdad, and Diyala in the center and south of Iraq. Field testing using the Pathogen ImmunoStrip Test showed that both ToBRFV and PepMV occur in tomato fields in Iraq. The highest relative virus incidence in tomato fields was reported for ToBRFV (all 7 provinces) followed by PepMV (6 out of 7 governorates). Both viruses were transmitted through tomato seeds (at a rate of 4%) when the local method of seeding the second generation of tomatoes was used without sanitizing. To our knowledge, this is the first study testing transmission of the two viruses through tomato seeds in Iraq.