Rahnella sikkimica sp. nov., a novel cold-tolerant bacterium isolated from the glacier of Sikkim Himalaya with plant growth-promoting properties.

The current study describes a novel species with the strain name ERMR1:05^T isolated from the forefield soil of East Rathong Glacier in West Sikkim Himalaya (India). The isolate was facultatively anaerobic, gram-stain negative, non-spore-forming, rod-shaped, and oxidase negative. Whole-genome-based bacterial core gene phylogenetic analysis placed the strain in the genus Rahnella, well separated from Rouxiella spp. The digital DNA-DNA hybridisation and average nucleotide identity values between strain ERMR1:05^T and other members of genus Rahnella were below the proposed thresholds for the species delineation. Based on these results, a new species, Rahnella sikkimica sp. nov., is proposed with strain ERMR1:05^T (CIP 111636^T, MTCC 12598^T) as the type strain. The bacterium showed upregulation of cold-stress genes in cold conditions. Additionally, the genome analysis of the bacterium showed the presence of plant growth-promotion factors suggesting its role in crop improvement in cold hilly regions.