Dead, outer scales of leaves and bulbs may be infected but the pathogen does not infect living scale tissue. The most obvious symptom occurs on roots that begin to turn pink or yellowish-brown, soon shrivel and die, and finally persist as red, purple or dark brown remnants. As new roots are produced, they become diseased and die. Foliar symptoms appear as a unilateral or general wilt and a yellow to tan dieback of leaf tips during mid to late season. Foliage death may occur over several weeks.
Affected plants can appear until harvest.
A progressive decay occurs in the bulb as secondary bacteria enter and as maggots become attracted to and feed within affected tissues. If infections occurred late in the season, this decay may not be apparent until after storage. Its life cycle from egg through larval stages to egg laying occurs in 19 to 25 days. High populations can contribute to damping-off. Seedlings become pale green to yellow, twisted and arched when infected.