Molecular diversity and phylogeny of rhizobia associated with wild legumes native to Xinjiang, China

A total of 111 rhizobial strains were isolated from wild legumes in Xinjiang, an isolated region of northwest China. Nine genomic species belonging to four genera of Rhizobium, Mesorhizobium, Ensifer, and Bradyrhizobium were defined among these strains based on the characterization of amplified 16S ribosomal DNA restriction analysis (ARDRA), restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis of 16S-23S rDNA intergenic spacers (IGS), 16S rRNA gene sequencing and multilocus sequence analysis (MLSA). Twenty-five nodC types corresponding to eight phylogenetic clades were divided by RFLP and sequence analysis of the PCR-amplified nodC gene. The acid-producing Rhizobium and Mesorhizobium species were predominant, which may be related to both the local environments and the hosts sampled. The present study also showed the limitation of using nod genes to estimate the host specificity of rhizobia.