Tender Advertisement #1124437

Request for Proposal: Improved Australian apple and pear orchards soil health and plant nutrition (AP19006)
Hort Innovation is a not-for-profit, grower-owned Research and Development Corporation (RDC) for Australia’s $13.2 billion horticulture industry. Hort Innovation invests around $110 million in research and development (R&D) and marketing programs annually to provide benefit to industry and the wider community.
Hort Innovation is seeking a suitably qualified, experienced and capable delivery partner for the project: Improved Australian apple and pear orchards soil health and plant nutrition (AP19006).
The objective of the services being sought is the development of apple and pear orchards systems that promote soil health which drives productivity through enhanced nutrient availability and uptake.
To do this, the secondary objectives are to:
• Develop the knowledge to optimise soil health (biological, chemical and structural) for environmentally friendly apple and pears production.
• Investigate the effect of soil biodiversity on nutrient uptake, tree nutrition and disease and pest incursions.
• Develop options for mitigation of spatial and temporal variability within apple and pear orchard systems.
• Develop management practices that reduce the environmental footprint of apple and pear production.
• Deliver a decision support tool for advisors and growers to assist with nutrient and irrigation management in all major apple and pear-growing regions including the use of climate data.
• Communicate findings in a clear and practical format to growers and wider industry.
Hort Innovation has prepared a Request for Proposal (RFP) document that provides background information, outlines the scope of services, the procurement process and the information required from interested parties. The RFP may be downloaded from www.tenders.net (you will need to be a member of tenders.net to access this information).
The closing date for responses is 5.00pm (AEST), 20 April 2020.