The rhabdovirus causing maize mosaic in Shiraz, Iran, is transmitted by Ribautodelphax notabilis Logvinenko (Homoptera, Delphacidae). Average size of bullet‐shaped virus particles in negatively stained leaf‐dip preparations of naturally or experimentally infected plants was 81 × 179 nm. The virus is transmitted to wheat and barley causing mosaic and severe stunting. Similar virus particles have been observed in leaf‐dip preparations of naturally infected wheat, barley and Sudangrass. This is believed to be the first record of the involvement of R. notabilis in virus transmission. The relationship of the described isolate with similar viruses infecting gramineous plants is discussed.

Soft rot‐inducing bacterial pathogens are considered among the main biotic constraints on vegetables and annual crops. Most of the bacterial soft rot pathogens are members of Pectobacterium spp. and Dickeya, with the former genus encompassing a continuously increasing number of species varying in geographic distribution and host of isolation. In Iran, Pectobacterium species have rarely been investigated using high‐throughput nucleotide sequence‐based techniques, leaving the genetic diversity of these pathogens mostly undetermined. During 2021, vegetables and annual crops with symptoms of soft rot and maceration were collected from Fars, Hamedan, Isfahan, Khuzestan and Kohgiluyeh‐Boyer‐Ahmad provinces of Iran. Forty‐four pectinolytic bacterial strains were isolated from symptomatic tissues of bell pepper, cabbage, carrot, lettuce, potato and zucchini. The bacterial strains were subjected to pathogenicity and host range assays, specific PCR tests and phylogenetic analysis of three housekeeping genes (dnaX, gapA and leuS). All strains were pathogenic on their host of isolation. Among the 44 pectinolytic strains, 26 strains were identified as members of Pectobacterium based on PCR using the primer pair Y1/Y2. Multilocus sequence analysis confirmed the latter bacterial strains belonging to the genus Pectobacterium and revealed that the strains scattered into four species: P. brasiliense (five strains), P. carotovorum (eight strains), P. polaris (five strains) and P. versatile (eight strains). P. polaris and P. versatile have not previously been reported in the country. Host range assays showed that P. brasiliense and P. carotovorum have a broader host range than the other two species.