Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. trifolii Genome sequencing

Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. trifolii strain CC275e has been is a highly effective, N2-fixing microsymbiont of white clover (Trifolium repens L.). The bacterium has been widely used in both Australia and New Zealand as a clover seed inoculant and, as such, has likely delivered the equivalent of billions of dollars of N into these pastoral systems. The final draft genome contains 6,882 protein coding genes, 72.69% of which were assigned to COG categories. The sequencing of this genome will enable identification of genetic traits associated with host compatibility and high N2 fixation characteristics in Rhizobium leguminosarum, and will be useful for development of strain-specific markers to assess factors associated with environmental fitness, competiveness for host nodule occupancy, and survival on legume seeds.