This dataset comprises phenotypic data of Rhizobium leguminosarum TRX19 clones evolved in the presence or absence of lytic phages. The clones assayed were isolated from populations of R. leguminosarum which had been evolved in lab media for twenty 73hr 'transfers'. Clones were assessed for their resistance to the ancestral phages (reduction in bacterial growth), their ability to form symbioses (plant biomass, nitrogen content and nodule counts) and traits associated with colonisation (biofilm production, swimming and swarming motility and gelatinase activity). This experiment tests the hypothesis that evolution for phage resistance will drive the loss of symbiosis functions in rhizobia due to antagonistic pleiotropy.