Little leaf symptoms include interveinal chlorosis of young leaves, and distortion and failure of leaves along the midrib to expand, and general stunting of plants.

High soil temperature, high soil moisture and presence of predisposing population of bacterial/fungal microorganisms in the soil appear to pre-dispose plants to little leaf.

Frenching (tobacco), and yellow strapleaf (chrysanthemum) are other names of the disease. Symptoms progress to increased leaflet distortion and more pronounced interveinal chlorosis.

Early and characteristic symptoms of little leaf consist of interveinal chlorosis in the young leaves with veins remaining dark green. Symptoms progress to increased leaflet distortion.

Other symptoms included cessation of terminal growth, leaflets with twisted and brittle midribs and axillary buds with very little and distorted growth.

Subsequently top growth become severely distorted with leaflets along the midrib failing to expand properly, resulting in a "little-leaf" appearance.

The later symptoms can be confused with Cucumber mosaic virus. There is almost no seed set and fruits are unmarketable. In the more severely affected plants, blooms are distorted.

Fruit that set when plants are mildly affected are distorted with fruit being flattened and at times radial cracks extending from the calyx to the blossom scar.