Reflections on the missing actors and institutions : the case of Rhizobium inoculants bio-innovation in Madhya Pradesh, India

Abstract

Rainfed areas in Madhya Pradesh(MP) were inhabited for soybean production in the 1960s when yellow seeded soybean was introduced in India. Soybean crop has specific rhizobial preference for Bradyrhizobium japonicum (hereafter, referred to as Rhizobium inoculants) for nodulation and effective biological nitrogen fixation to improve soil health. Rhizobium inoculants also represent the case of first commercial production of biofertilizers in the country. The case of Rhizobium inoculants in the state has been hailed as an bio-innovation owing to its successful adoption for soybean production. Seed inoculation with rhizobium every year has been advocated to ensure optimum population of effective rhizobia in rhizosphere for enhanced nodulation, nitrogen fixation, and yield. Though, MP dominates with largest area under soybean cultivation, its productivity has been on the decline. Despite lot of institutional support to Rhizobium inoculants R&D, there is lot of gap in the required and actual production, if it is used for the entire soybean grown in the state. There is a need to strengthen this bio-innovation system by identifying the strategies and capacity building needs of the weak /missing actors in the State. Innovation system framework has been used for analysis to understand the actors (institutions and organizations) relevent to Rhizobium inoculants bioinnovation. The paper spells out the reasons for the absence of these actors and determines the need and the way these missing actors could be linked to the other actors of the domain along with supportive institutions and policies in favour of this important bio-innovation.