Pedobacter suwonensis sp. nov., isolated from the rhizosphere of Chinese cabbage (Brassica campestris)

1 Korean Agricultural Culture Collection (KACC), Genetic Resources Division, National Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology, Rural Development Administration (RDA), Suwon 441-707, Korea 2 Applied Microbiology Division, National Institute of Agricultural Science and Technology, RDA, Suwon 441-707, Korea Correspondence Hang-Yeon Weon hyweon{at}rda.go.kr A mesophilic bacterium, strain 15-52 T , was isolated from the rhizosphere of Chinese cabbage ( Brassica campestris ). On the basis of phenotypic and genotypic characteristics, the bacterium was identified as representing a novel species belonging to the genus Pedobacter . The strain is non-flagellated, non-spore-forming and grows at temperatures in the range 1–37 °C. Physiological tests of the strain showed the presence of oxidase, catalase, protease (gelatin and casein hydrolysis), -glucosidase and -galactosidase activities. The highest levels of 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity were found with respect to Pedobacter roseus CL-GP80 T (97.3 %) and Pedobacter sandarakinus DS-27 T (97.2 %). A phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequence data indicated that strain 15-52 T is a member of the genus Pedobacter . DNA–DNA hybridization analysis revealed low levels of relatedness (