The nodule number in legumes is regulated by numerous factors including the number and efficiency of the interacting Rhizobium bacteria, environmental factors such as heat, drought, salinity, nutritional aspects such as nitrate and phosphate, environmental toxins such as cadmium, as well as endogenous plant factors including phytohormones, plant nodulation reception systems and autoregulation of nodulation (AON; based on original thoughts of Wolfgang Bauer). The cloning of the AON-control gene GmNARK/LjHARl and the recognition of its function as a LRR receptor kinase now facilitates the mechanistic analysis of the process in terms of ligands, interacting proteins and signal transduction.
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