First report of Xylella fastidiosa in Iraq
During spring of 2022, leaf scorch symptoms were observed in oleander plants (Nerium oleander) in Erbil city (Kurdistan Region, northern Iraq). Leaf samples were collected from symptomatic plants and the identity of the causal agent was determined as being Xylella fastidiosa by isolation, PCR followed by partial sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene.
The EPPO Secretariat had no previous record of Xylella fastidiosa* in Iraq.
The vector Philaenus spumarius (Hemiptera: Aphrophoridae) has been reported in the Erbil region.
* Note of the EPPO Secretariat: the authors conclude in their article that the subspecies present is Xylella fastidiosa subsp. sandyi. However the sequence analysis of 16S rRNA genes is not reliable to determine the subspecies. Nerium oleander is a host of other subspecies of Xylella fastidiosa.
Sources
Ahmed MZ, Mohamed RY (2023). Isolation and identification of Xylella fastidiosa that cause oleander leaf scorch. Rafidain Journal of Science 32(1), 102-109.
Gnezdilov VM, Schmidt C (2024) Auchenorrhyncha (Hemiptera) of Iraq: checklist and new records. Proceedings of the Zoological Institute RAS 328(3), 408-428.