Tomato Mottle Mosaic Virus

The tomato mottle mosaic virus was first identified in 2013 in Mexico. It is now found around the world, and it threatens your tomato and pepper plants.


This disease is still relatively rare, but scientists believe that it may be able to infect members of the cabbage family and other members of the nightshade family. They are still sorting out all the details.


As such, there aren’t any good photos of this disease available yet. Tomato mottle mosaic virus (ToMMV) is a close relation to tomato mosaic virus and tobacco mosaic virus, so I’ve included photos of those diseases to give you an idea of what we’re up against

Initial symptoms of tobacco mosaic virus (R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, Bugwood.org) CC BY 3.0 US

Tomato mottle mosaic virus symptoms

Symptoms of tomato mottle mosaic virus include:

• distorted leaves
• leaf narrowing
• light and dark green mosaic patterns on leaves
• mottling
• leaf blistering and puckering
• serious stunting
• aborted flowers

Without flowers, there is no fruit. These symptoms spread rapidly and the disease is highly contagious.

Tomato plant infected with tomato mosaic virus (Mary Ann Hansen, VA Polytechnic, Bugwood.org)

Tomato mottle mosaic virus management

Scientists believe that ToMMV spreads through plant-to-plant contact, as well as on contaminated clothing and tools. Pollinators, contaminated irrigation water, and infected seeds may also help spread this disease. There are no resistant plant varieties. Some studies have shown that this particular virus can break the resistance of our garden plants to tomato mosaic virus and tobacco mosaic virus. This ability has farmers worried, and with good reason.


There are no known treatments against tomato mottle mosaic virus (yet), so prevention is the best course of action. This means:

• buying only certified disease-free seeds and seedlings
• placing new plants in quarantine
• spacing plants properly
• monitoring plants regularly for signs of disease
• removing infected plants and disposing of them in the trash

If you suspect tomato mottle mosaic virus in your garden, collect a sample and contact your local County Extension Office or Department of Agriculture. Working together, we can help slow the spread of this and other plant diseases.