Neorhizobium lilium

Cells are gram negative, aerobic, non-spore-forming, non-motile, rod-shaped, 0.3–0.5 µm in width, and 0.7–1.7 µm in length. Colonies grown on YMA for 3 days are circular with regular margins, convex, milky, and 2–3 mm in diameter after incubation for 48 h on YMA at 30 °C. Growth occurs in the presence of 0–2% (w/v) NaCl (optimum, 0% NaCl), pH 6.0–9.0 (optimum, 7.0–8.0), and 15–42 °C (optimum, 30 °C). Catalase and oxidase positive. Starch and casein are not hydrolyzed. Nitrate cannot be reduced. Urease and β-galactosidase are negative. Can assimilate glucose, mannose, arabinose, mannitol, and malic acid. Voges-Proskauer test is positive. Negative for fermentation of mannose, sorbitol, rhamnose, and melibiose. In the API ZYM system, positive for alkaline phosphatase, leucine arlyamidase, acid phosphatase, naphthol-AS-BI-phosphohydrolase, β-glucuronidase. The following carbon sources are utilized: d-cellobiose, gentiobiose, d-mannose, d-fructose, d-galactose, myo-inositol, glycyl-l-proline, l-alanine, l-aspartic acid, l-serine, d-galacturonic acid, d-glucuronic acid, l-malic acid, bromo-succinic acid, β-hydroxy- d, l-butyric acid, acetoacetic acid, acetic acid. l-arginine, 3-methyl glucose, and d-turanose are weakly utilized. The major cellular fatty acids in strain 24NRT are summed feature 8 and C19:0 cyclo ω8c. The genome size of strain 24NRT is 5.22 Mb. The DNA G+C content is 60.3 mol %. The type strain is 24NRT (= ACCC 61588T = JCM 33731T), isolated from the bulbs of Lilium pumilum in the Hebei Province, PR China.