@article{mbs:/content/journal/ijsem/10.1099/00207713-37-1-43, author = "Reinhold, Barbara and Hurek, Thomas and Fendrik, Istvan and Pot, Bruno and Gillis, Monique and Kersters, Karel and Thielemans, Stefaan and De Ley, Jozef", title = "Azospirillum halopraeferens sp. nov., a Nitrogen-Fixing Organism Associated with Roots of Kallar Grass (Leptochloa fusca (L.) Kunth)", journal= "International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology", year = "1987", volume = "37", number = "1", pages = "43-51", doi = "https://doi.org/10.1099/00207713-37-1-43", url = "https://www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/ijsem/10.1099/00207713-37-1-43", publisher = "Microbiology Society", issn = "1466-5034", type = "Journal Article", abstract = "Among the nitrogen-fixing bacteria associated with the roots of Leptochloa fusca (L.) Kunth in salt-affected soils in the Punjab region of Pakistan, we found a homogeneous group of eight diazotrophs. Cells are vibrioid to S shaped, are motile by one polar flagellum, and produce granules of poly-β-hydroxybutyrate. They have a respiratory type of metabolism, show microaerophilic growth when fixing nitrogen, grow well on salts of organic acids, and can also use fructose and mannitol. On nitrogen-free semisolid media, they require biotin, utilize mannitol, but not glucose or sucrose, and cannot acidify glucose aerobically or anaerobically. Optimal growth occurs at 0.25% NaCl and 41°C. Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)-ribosomal ribonucleic acid (rRNA) hybridizations show that the organisms belong to the Azospirillum rRNA branch, where they cluster together with Azospirillum amazonense. They form a phenotypically and protein electrophoretically homogeneous group of bacteria, clearly distinct from Azospirillum amazonense, Azospirillum lipoferum, and Azospirillum brasilense. As no DNA-DNA binding was found with any of the three Azospirillum species, we propose a fourth Azospirillum species for this group of isolates. Because of better growth at increased NaCl concentrations, we named the new species Azospirillum halopraeferens. Strain Au 4 (= LMG 7108) is the type strain, which has been deposited at the Deutsche Sammlung von Mikroorganismen, Göttingen, Federal Republic of Germany, as DSM 3675.", }