In summary, results presented here show a complex transcriptional regulation of the Smirnoff-Wheeler pathway in legumes under water-deficit conditions. Based on their expression patterns and correlation with the AsA levels and biosynthetic activity, our **data** suggest that GalLDH, together with VTC1, are the most likely candidates to play a role in the regulation of AsA biosynthesis in legume plants. Future work may provide answers to questions such as the role of post-transcriptional regulatory mechanisms in the drought-induced decline in GalLDH activity using targeted proteomic approaches (Wienkoop et al., 2008) or the individual contribution of the various paralogous genes. This knowledge will contribute to further understand the regulation of the pathway under water-deficit conditions to, ultimately, improve abiotic stress tolerance in legume crops.