The Iranian provinces where sugar beet is cultivated have been surveyed for the presence of Beet black scorch virus. Sixty two samples (31%) out of two hundreds and three samples showed positive response by RT-PCR in ten out of thirteen Iranian provinces of Khorasan Shomali, Khorasan Razavi, Ghazvine, Zanjan, Ardabil, Azarbijaan Sharghi, Azarbijaan Gharbi, Kermanshah, Hamadan and Kerman. The BBSV satellite was found in nineteen samples (9.3 %) out of 203 in all provinces except Azarbaeijan Shargi. The presence of BBSV was systematically associated by the presence of BNYVV and/or other soil-borne pomoviruses. The complete genome sequences of three Iranian BBSV isolates have been determined. The three isolates, one with satellite designated BBSV-Ha1 and two without satellite designated BBSV-AzGh and BBSV-Ha2 showed 97 % nucleotide identity between the first two and 88 % between the two first and third one. The identity between two Iranian isolates of BBSV-AzGh, BBSV-Ha1 and one isolate of BBSV-Ha2 by both genomes of the ‘Ningxia’ isolate of BBSV (BBSV-N) from China and ‘BBSV-Co’ from US were 89 % and 88 % respectively in nt level of whole genomes. In all of the cases Iranian BBSV was accompanied by BNYVV causal agent of rhizomania.

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