High-temperature stress severely limits the growth, development, and productivity of tomatoes. Understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying its thermotolerance is crucial for breeding heat-resistant varieties. This study employed a stepwise experimental strategy to systematically elucidate the role of the chlorophyll a/b-binding protein SlCAB3 in tomato thermotolerance. First, a high-temperature responsive transcription factor, SlDREBA4, previously identified in our lab, was used in a yeast two-hybrid screen to identify potential interacting proteins, including SlCAB3. The interaction between SlDREBA4 and SlCAB3 was further validated using tobacco in vivo luciferase complementation imaging (LCI) and in vitro pull-down assays. Subsequently, the expression patterns of SlCAB3 under heat stress were analyzed, and its biological function was further evaluated through overexpression, gene silencing, and knockout experiments. Additionally, reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation, antioxidant enzyme activities, chlorophyll content, and the expression of stress-responsive genes were measured to comprehensively assess their physiological and molecular regulatory roles. The results indicate that SlCAB3 encodes a typical chlorophyll a/b-binding protein and is rapidly induced by heat stress. Overexpression of SlCAB3 significantly enhances plant thermotolerance, evidenced by reduced heat damage, increased chlorophyll content, decreased ROS accumulation, elevated antioxidant enzyme activities, and upregulation of antioxidant-related genes. Conversely, silencing SlCAB3 produces opposite effects. Moreover, co-expression of SlCAB3 with SlDREBA4 further improves thermotolerance, accompanied by enhanced expression of heat shock protein-related and antioxidant-related genes. In conclusion, SlCAB3 is a positive regulator of tomato thermotolerance, and the interaction module formed with SlDREBA4 may collectively enhance heat resistance by strengthening antioxidant defense and heat stress response mechanisms.

Whether high-yielding cultivars recruit a universally beneficial microbial community or deploy location-specific strategies remains unknown. To address this, we evaluated two ginger cultivars (‘Dianjiang G04’ and ‘Dianjiang G07’) grown at two locations with contrasting soil physicochemical properties, Kunming (KM) and Luoping (LP), Yunnan Province, China. Ginger yield, soil physicochemical properties, enzyme activities, and rhizosphere bacterial and fungal communities were investigated using a two-site × two-cultivar factorial design. Cultivar exerted the strongest effect on yield, with G07 outyielding G04 and KM-G07 producing the highest yield. Compared with Luoping, Kunming soils generally exhibited higher pH, NO₃⁻-N, available phosphorus, available potassium, enzyme activities, and alpha diversity. Bacterial and fungal communities were clearly differentiated between locations. Additionally, cultivar-related community divergence was more pronounced in Luoping than in Kunming. Redundancy analysis showed that pH, total phosphorus, total potassium, invertase, urease, and protease were closely associated with microbial variation, while functional predictions revealed location- and cultivar-dependent shifts in bacterial metabolism and fungal trophic guilds. Partial least squares regression identified cultivar, nutrients, enzyme activities, Trichocladium, and Bacillus as key yield predictors. These findings indicate that ginger performance depends on cultivar–soil properties compatibility rather than on cultivar selection alone: cultivar determines yield, but soil properties shape the microbial community, confirming that high-yielding cultivars achieve superiority through site-specific microbial recruitment. Therefore, G07 should be prioritized in soils with more favorable pH conditions and greater N, P, and K availability, whereas in less fertile or acidic soils, alternative cultivars or targeted soil amelioration may be more appropriate.

The genus Zingiber possesses substantial economic and medicinal value, yet its mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) has remained entirely unexplored. Here, we present the first complete mitogenome assembly of ginger (Zingiber officinale), obtained through a hybrid sequencing (Illumina and PacBio) strategy. The genome features a complex, multi-branched structure totaling 8,977,507 bp with a GC content of 45.27%. It harbors 40 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 31 tRNAs, and three rRNAs. We identified abundant repetitive sequences, including 2954 SSRs and 54,887 dispersed repeats driving this genomic expansion, alongside widespread evidence of intracellular DNA transfer, with 273 plastid-derived fragments integrated into the mitogenome. Codon usage analysis revealed a pronounced bias toward A/U-ending synonymous codons. Importantly, Deepred-Mt predictions of extensive C-to-U RNA editing sites were experimentally corroborated via Sanger sequencing, confirming their critical role in maintaining the hydrophobicity of respiratory chain proteins. Comparative analyses revealed a striking evolutionary decoupling: highly conserved nucleotide substitution rates contrasting with extreme structural rearrangements relative to related Curcuma species, and phylogenetic reconstruction strongly supported the sister relationship between Z. officinale and the Curcuma clade. This study provides a foundational genomic resource for further research on cytoplasmic inheritance, genome gigantism, molecular breeding, and the links between mitogenomic variation and key agronomic or medicinal traits in Z. officinale.