On October 14, 2025, the SRI Global Research Network hosted the sixth session in its webinar series, titled “Cyanobacteria: Revisiting their Role as Nutrient Enriching and Resource Conserving Options under SRI/SCI.” The featured speaker was Dr. Radha Prasanna, Principal Scientist and Head of the Division of Microbiology at ICAR-IARI (India), and the session was moderated by Alex Pears of SRI-2030 (UK).
In her talk, Dr. Prasanna examined how cyanobacteria bioinoculant can enhance rice systems by fixing atmospheric nitrogen, mobilizing nutrients, and improving soil health, while conserving inputs when paired with SRI/SCI practices such as intermittent irrigation and improved root aeration. She outlined practical options for deploying inoculants under different biophysical conditions and contrasted their performance with continuously flooded conventional methods. The presentation emphasized potential reductions in synthetic nitrogen use and more efficient resource use without sacrificing yield stability, especially when inoculant quality is maintained and management is adapted to local soils and water regimes.
The Q&A broadened to questions about scalability, cost-effectiveness, and policy relevance how microbial options can complement farmer training, extension programs, and climate-smart agriculture strategies associated with SRI/SCI. Participants highlighted the need for evaluation tools that go beyond simple input–output accounting to capture co-benefits for productivity, resilience, and environmental outcomes.
Moderator Alex Pears helped steer the conversation toward practical implementation, probing issues of program design, farmer uptake, and how evidence from trials can inform national and regional planning for sustainable rice systems. For those who were unable to attend the live session, the full recording is available on YouTube below. To stay updated on future events and publications, visit sri-research.org.
