title: Azospirillum agricola sp. nov., a nitrogen-fixing species isolated from cultivated soil.
abstract: A polyphasic approach was used to characterize a novel nitrogen-fixing bacterial strain, designated CC-HIH038T, isolated from cultivated soil in Taiwan. Cells of strain CC-HIH038T were Gram-stain-negative, facultatively aerobic and spiral-shaped, with motility provided by a single polar flagellum. The 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis of strain CC-HIH038T showed highest sequence similarity to Azospirillum doebereinerae (98.0 %), Azospirillum thiophilum (97.5 %), Azospirillum rugosum (97.4 %) and Azospirillum zeae (97.2 %) and lower sequence similarity ( < 97.0 %) to all other species of the genus Azospirillum. According to DNA-DNA association, the relatedness values of strain CC-HIH038T with A. doebereinerae, A. thiophilum, A. rugosum and A. zeae were 51.8 %, 41.2 %, 56.5 % and 37.5 %, respectively. Strain CC-HIH038T was able to grow at 20-37 °C and pH 7.0-8.0. Strain CC-HIH038T gave positive amplification for dinitrogen reductase (nifH gene); the activity was recorded as 8.4 nmol ethylene h- 1. The predominant quinone system was ubiquinone Q-10 and the DNA G+C content was 68.8 mol%. The major fatty acids found in strain CC-HIH038T were C16 : 0, iso-C18 : 0, C16 : 0 3-OH, C14 : 0 3-OH/iso-C16 : 1 and C18 : 1ω7c/C18 : 1ω6c. Based on the distinct phylogenetic, phenotypic and chemotaxonomic traits together with results of comparative 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, strain CC-HIH038T is considered to represent a novel species in the genus Azospirillum, for which the name Azospirillum agricola sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is CC-HIH038T ( = BCRC 80909T = JCM 30827T).
authors.affiliation: Department of Soil and Environmental Sciences, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: Shih-Yao
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Department of Soil and Environmental Sciences, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: You-Cheng
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Soil and Environmental Sciences, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: Asif
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hameed
authors.affiliation: Department of Soil and Environmental Sciences, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: Yi-Han
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Hsu
authors.affiliation: Department of Soil and Environmental Sciences, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: Hsin-I
authors.initials: HI
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Department of Soil and Environmental Sciences, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan, ROC.|Agricultural Biotechnology Center, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: Wei-An
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Lai
authors.affiliation: Department of Soil and Environmental Sciences, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan, ROC.|Agricultural Biotechnology Center, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: Chiu-Chung
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Young
mesh_terms: D016949:Azospirillum / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D015373:Bacterial Typing Techniques; D001482:Base Composition; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000737:chemistry; D009584:Nitrogen; D009586:Nitrogen Fixation; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization; D010743:Phospholipids / Q000737:chemistry; D010802:Phylogeny; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D012988:Soil Microbiology; D013624:Taiwan; D014451:Ubiquinone / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D005227:Fatty Acids; D010743:Phospholipids; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; D014451:Ubiquinone; C025204:Ubiquinone Q2; D009584:Nitrogen