Erwinia phyllosphaerae sp. nov., a novel bacterium isolated from phyllosphere of pomelo (Citrus maxima)

A novel phosphate-solubilizing and 3-indoleacetic acid producing bacterium, designated strain CMYE1(T), was isolated from the phyllosphere of pomelo (Citrus maxima) in Meizhou. Guangdong Province, PR China. Cells were Gram-stain-negative, facultative aerobic, non-spore-forming, rod-shaped and motile with peritrichous flagella. It had the highest 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity to Kalamiella piersonii NRRL B-65522(T) (99.0%), followed by Pantoea cypripedii LMG 2657(T) (98.1%), Erwinia iniecta 8120(T) (97.7%), Mixta intestinalis 29Y89B(T) (97.6%) and other species (<97.6%). However, phylogenomic analyses clearly showed that strain CMYE1(T) should be assigned into the genus Erwinia, and was most closely related to Erwinia oleae LMG 25322(T) (96.7%). Genome comparisons showed that the novel strain shared <= 83.2% average nucleotide identity and <= 26.5% digital DNA-DNA hybridization values with closely related strains, respectively. It contained C-16:0, C-17:0 cyclo, summed feature 3 (C-16:1 omega 7c and/or C-1(6:)1 omega 6c) and summed feature 8 (C-18:1 omega 7c and/or C-18:1 omega 6c) as the major fatty acids. Based on the results of phylogenetic, phenotypic and chemotaxonomic analyses, as well as genome comparisons, strain CMYE1(T) belongs to a novel species of the genus Erwinia, for which the name Erwinia phyllosphaerae sp. nov. is proposed with the type strain CMYE1( )(T)(=GDMCC 1.2674(T)=JCM 34792(T)).

Automated summary

A novel bacterium capable of solubilizing phosphate and producing the plant growth hormone 3-indoleacetic acid was isolated from the phyllosphere of pomelo in Meizhou, China. Through phylogenetic and phenotypic analyses, the bacterium was identified as a new species of the genus Erwinia, named Erwinia phyllosphaerae.