| CCBAU | Culture Collection of Beijing Agricultural University, Beijing, China |
| CK | Control |
| PVP | Polyvinylpyrrolidone |
| CFU | Colony-forming Unit |
| Smp20 | 20% skimmed milk powder |
| Tre20 | 20% trehalose |
| M. | Mesorhizobium |
| M. huakuii | Mesorhizobium huakuii |
| A. sinicus | Astragalus sinicus |
| DMSO | Dimethyl sulfoxide |
| YM | Yeast extract–mannitol medium |
| TY | Tryptone–yeast extract medium |
| YMA | Yeast–extract mannitol agar medium |
| rpm | Rotation per minute |
| NA | Nalidixic acid |
| OD600 | Optical density at 600 nm |