Mesorhizobium norvegicum sp. nov., a rhizobium isolated from a Lotus corniculatus root nodule in Norway

Strain 10.2.2 T was isolated from a root nodule of a Lotus corniculatus plant growing near Skammestein (Norway). Phenotypic and chemotaxonomic characterization revealed that colonies grown on yeast-mannitol broth agar were circular, convex and slimy. Growth occurred at 28 °C in 0-1 % NaCl and in a pH range from above 4 to 10. Cells were resistant to kanamycin and phosphomycin. They could assimilate carbon sources such as l-lysine, d-mannose, d-mannitol, and l-alanine. Major fatty acids found in the organism were 11-methyl C 18  :  1 ω7 c , C 16  :  0 , C 18  :  1 ω7 c , C 18  :  0 and C 19  :  0 cyclo ω8 c . Genome sequencing and characterization of the genome revealed its size to be 8.27 Mbp with a G+C content of 62.4 mol%. Phylogenetic analyses based on the 16S rRNA gene and housekeeping gene alignments placed this strain within the genus Mesorhizobium . Pairwise genome-wide average nucleotide identity values supported that strain 10.2.2 T represents a new species, for which we propose the name Mesorhizobium norvegicum sp. nov. with the type strain 10.2.2 T (=DSM 108834 T =LMG 31153 T ).