Severe symptoms include dark brown, dead areas in the blade of nearly mature leaflets. Leaflets at the terminal end of a leaf usually are most adversely affected, often showing severe necrosis. In many cases, all leaflets are affected. Leaves formed after the onset of PVY exhibit mild wrinkling, slight distortion, and mild mottling. Leaflets of plants infected for some time are rolled downward with curved petioles, giving the plant a drooping appearance.
Stems often show a purplish streaking but no symptoms are produced on the fruit.
Mature plants are stunted and unthrifty and yield is reduced. The occurrence of TEV in tomato fields is closely associated with other infected solanaceous crops, especially pepper, and natural weed hosts, which serve as virus reservoirs. The virus can be transmitted by at least 10 species of aphid in the nonpersistent manner. There are no reports of seed transmission in any host plant. Leaves of infected plants are severely mottled, puckered, and wrinkled.