Whole genome sequencing and characterization of four novel Vreelandella and Kushneria species

Eight bacterial strains belonging to the genera Vreelandella and Kushneria were isolated from the aerial parts of the halophyte Halocnemum strobilaceum, growing in the arid saline steppes and coastal areas of Murcia, in the south of Spain. These strains are being characterized as plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB), as previously reported for both genera (Navarro-Torre et al., 2018; Etesami and Glick, 2020). Whole-genome sequencing of the seven isolates was performed using a hybrid approach that combined Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT) and Illumina platforms, carried out by MicrobesNG (Birmingham, United Kingdom). Digital DNA–DNA hybridization (dDDH) and Average Nucleotide Identity (ANI) analyses, based on whole-genome pairwise comparisons using the TYGS web server and JSpeciesWS, revealed that the seven isolates represent four novel bacterial species: 1. Vreelandella sp. GE22 and Vreelandella sp. TE19 (same species, two different strains) 2. Vreelandella sp. EE7, EE24, and EE27 (same species, three different strains) 3. Vreelandella sp. EE22 4. Kushneria sp. TE3 and EE4 (same species, two different strains)