Characterization of tropical tree rhizobia and description of Mesorhizobium plurifarium sp. nov.

A collection of strains isolated from root nodules of Acacia species in Senegal was analysed previously by electrophoresis of total cell protein, auxanographic tests, rRNA-DNA hydridization, 16S rRNA gene sequencing, DNA base composition and DNA-DNA hybridization [de Lajudie, P., Willems, A., Pot, B. & 7 other authors (1994). Int J Syst Bacteriol 44, 715-733]. Strains from Acacia were shown to belong to two groups, Sinorhizobium terangae, and a so-called gel electrophoretic cluster U, which also included some reference strains from Brazil. Further taxonomic characterization of this group using the same techniques plus repetitive extragenic palindromic-PCR and nodulation tests is presented in this paper. Reference strains from Sudan and a number of new rhizobia isolated from nodules of Acacia senegal, Acacia tortilis subsp. raddiana and Prosopis juliflora in Senegal were included. As a result of this polyphasic approach, the creation of a new species, Mesorhizobium plurifarium, is proposed for a genotypically and phenotypically distinct group corresponding to the former cluster U and containing strains isolated from Acacia, Leucaena, Prosopis and Chamaecrista in West Africa (Senegal), East Africa (Sudan) and South America (Brazil). The type strain of Mesorhizobium plurifarium ORS 1032 has been deposited in the LMG collection as LMG 11892.