Unveiling the high-quality MicroTom genome and its impact on developmental biology

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) has marked its global significance with annual production of approximately 186 million tons in 2020. In addition to its edible and economic value, tomato has become a vital model in developmental biology research, surpassing Arabidopsis thaliana in some cases like fruit development, metabolism, plant-pathogen interactions, and symbiosis studies.