Nitrogen fixation by rhizobia in symbiosis with legumes is essential for nitrogen cycling and sustainable agriculture and plays a critical role in the survival of native leguminous plants in the arid and Saharan environments of Tunisia. The Sinorhizobium meliloti strain IRAMC:0087, initially isolated from the root nodules of the Saharan shrub Calobota saharae in southern Tunisia, can establish nodulation with V...