Abstract A greenhouse and a growth chamber experiment were conducted to study the influence of cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) on growth and elemental composition of a hydroponically-grown, susceptible and a resistant pepper cultivar. Foliar symptoms were more severe and appeared 2 weeks earlier on the CMV-infected susceptible than on the CMV-infected resistant cultivar. CMV-infected susceptible plants were stunted before foliar symptoms appeared. Roots were stunted to a greater extent than the aerial portions. Virus infection had no effect on the growth of the resistant cultivar. The amount of solution taken up by the infected susceptible plants was lower than by noninfected ones either before or after symptoms appeared on terminal leaves. The pH of the nutrient solution in which the infected plants were grown was lower prior to symptom expression and conductivity readings were higher than for the solution with noninfected plants. At 1 week after inoculation, prior to the expression of foliar symptoms, concentrations of P, K, Mn, Fe, and Cu were lower in the CMV-infected susceptible than noninfected plants. At 3 weeks after inoculation, and after symptoms were observed, infected resistant plants had a lower concentration of K, Mn, and Fe in the basal leaves than infected resistant plants. Little change in elemental concentration of susceptible plants occurred after symptoms appeared on the terminal leaves. However, due to the stunting effect of virus on susceptible plants, several elements were lower on a total accumulation basis at 2, 3, and 4 weeks after inoculation. The CMV effect on individual elements was dependent on cultivar, severity of stunting, and the number of days after inoculation leaf samples were collected.