Three soils with different Electrolytic Conductivity (EC) from the former Lake Texcoco (soil with low EC 1.2 dS · m -1 , medium with EC 83.1 - 107.8 dS · m -1 , and high with EC 137.3 - 152.5 dS •m -1 ) were used to isolate nitrogen-fixing bacterial strains through enrichment cultures in nitrogen-free media. The medium and high EC in the soil affected negatively the nitrogen-fixing activity, which was generally ten times lower compared to the activity in the soil with low EC. Twenty-one bacterial strains were isolated, identified and characterized for their nitrogen fixation capacity. The diazotrophic genetic potential of all isolates was confirmed by amplification and sequencing of partial nif H and nif D genes and diazotrophic activity quantified by the acetylene reduction assay. Azospirillum brasilense , and several species of Paenibacillus ( P. fujiensis , P. durus , P. borealis , P. graminis , P. massiliensis and P. wynnii ) were identified. Isolates belonging to the Paenibacillus genus were found in the three soils. Paenibacillus fujiensis and P. durus showed a high nitrogenase activity. The phylograms based on nif H and nif D gene sequences were consistent with 16S rRNA gene phylogeny.
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