Flavobacterium nitrogenifigens sp. nov., isolated from switchgrass (Panicum virgatum)

Abstract

A yellow, nitrogen-fixing bacterial strain, NXU-44 T , isolated from the rhizosphere of switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) in Auburn, Alabama, USA, was studied to determine its taxonomic position. Cells of the isolate were rod-shaped and Gram-stain-negative. A comparison of the 16S rRNA gene sequence with the sequences of the type strains of the most closely related species showed that the strain belongs to the genus Flavobacterium with highest sequence similarities to the type strains of Flavobacterium ginsenosidimutans (97.9 %), Flavobacterium phragmitis (97.6 %) and Flavobacterium anhuiense (97.5 %). The 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities to all other species of the genus Flavobacterium were below 97.5 %. The fatty acid profile of strain NXU-44 T consisted of the major fatty acids iso-C 15 : 0 , iso-C 15 : 0 2-OH/C 16 : 1 v7c and iso-C 17 : 0 3-OH. The major compounds in the polar lipid profile were phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylserine, one aminolipid and two polar lipids. The quinone system was composed exclusively of menaquinone MK-6. The polyamine pattern contained the major compound sym-homospermidine and only minor amounts of other polyamines. The diagnostic diamino acid of the peptidoglycan was meso-diaminopimelic acid. These data and the differential biochemical and chemotaxonomic properties show that strain NXU-44 T represents a novel species of the genus Flavobacterium for which the name Flavobacterium nitrogenifigens sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is NXU-44 T (5LMG 28694 T 5CIP 110894 T ).

Isolation and characterization of N2‐fixing bacteria from giant reed and switchgrass for plant growth promotion and nutrient uptake

“…Twenty‐five N 2 ‐fixing genera were detected in our study. Twenty‐three of these 25 genera have been previously reported to contain species and strains that could fix nitrogen, including Arthrobacter , Bacillus , Beijerinckia , Burkholderia , Chryseobacterium , Citrobacter , Ensifer , Enterobacter , Flavobacterium , Leclercia , Lysobacter , Microbacterium , Pantoea , Phyllobacterium , Pseudomonas , Rahnella , Rhizobium , Shinella , Sphingobacterium , Sphingomonas , Sporosarcina , Stenotrophomonas , and Xanthomonas . The remaining two genera were Curtobacterium and Psychrobacillus , which have not previously been reported to contain N 2 ‐fixing species.…”

Perennial Energy Grasses: Resilient Crops in a Changing European Agriculture

“…NUE could be strategically improved through symbiotic associations with mycorrhiza. Studies have identified some strains of Flavobacterium nitrogenifigens in the rhizosphere of switchgrass [114] and Ker et al [115] proposed the possibility of inoculating switchgrass with endophytes capable of fixating N with encouraging results.…”

Isolation and identification of endophytic diazotrophs from lodgepole pine trees growing at unreclaimed gravel mining pits in central interior British Columbia, Canada

“…Flavobacterium genus isolated from corn and switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) have been reported to possess N-fixing ability (nifH genes and nitrogenase activity) (Gao et al 2015;Kämpfer et al 2015). Similarly, endophytic Staphylococcus species have also been reported in poplar, sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum) and Ginseng (Panax ginseng) with the ability to promote plant growth (Moore et al 2006;Velázquez et al 2008;Vendan et al 2010).…”