Isolation and characterization of a diazotrophic, oxalate-oxidizing bacterium from sour grass (Oxalis pes-caprae L.)

A new type of nitrogen-fixing, oxalate-oxidizing Azospirillum sp. was isolated from the roots of Oxalis pes-caprae. Polyphasic taxonomy was performed, including auxanography using API galleries, physiological tests and 16S rRNA sequence comparison. Optimum growth occurred at 30 degrees C, pH 7.5. Growth was observed at 37 and 42 degrees C with oxalate and in the presence of 3-4% NaCl and 2% potassium oxalate. In liquid culture, the doubling time (t(d)) with oxalate was 9 h. Its closest phylogenetic neighbors, as deduced by 16S rDNA-based analysis, were Azospirillum brasilense, Azospirillum doebereinerae and Azospirillum lipoferum, with 99.5, 98.4 and 96.7% sequence similarity, respectively. The strain differed from A. brasilense by its ability to use N-acetylglucosamine, D-glucose and D-mannitol. It may be a variant strain of A. brasilense. Oxalotrophic, N2-fixing species of the genus Azospirillum may be important contributors to soil formation, soil fertility, and retention and/or cycling of elements necessary for plant growth.