English: Descriptor: Symptoms of tobacco etch virus (TEV) (Potyvirus TEV)

Description: The first symptom of TEV infection is a pronounced vein clearing on expanding leaves. This is followed by necrosis of a thin line of tissue along the veins, resulting in an etched pattern. Subsequently, young leaves develop a mosaic which fades to mottling as the leaf ages. Etching and more pronounced veinal necrosis is common. Plant growth is retarded, resulting in stunting, especially when young plants are infected. The virus overwinters in perennial solanaceous weeds and is transmitted to tobacco by migrating aphids. TEV often occurs in combination with other aphid-borne viruses. Tobacco etch is one of the most common virus diseases of burley.

Image type: Field

Host: Burley tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum (burley type) L.)