Using an understanding of mouse ecology and behaviour to direct crop protection management

Request for Tender

Using an understanding of mouse ecology and behaviour to direct crop protection management

Over the past 10-20 years, Australian farming systems have evolved significantly with the adoption of conservation agriculture techniques like minimum tillage, stubble retention, and diversified crop rotations. These methods have enhanced profitability, disrupted disease cycles, and improved soil health, contributing to the resilience and sustainability of Australian grain farming. However, these changes have also inadvertently boosted pest problems, particularly with feral house mice (Mus domesticus), which now thrive in the undisturbed environments of modern farms, leading to more frequent outbreaks. To address this, farmers increasingly rely on zinc phosphide grain baits, but there's a need to explore a variety of strategies to mitigate mouse impacts on grain farms. This includes reducing food sources, crop cover, and mouse burrows, as well as improving overall mouse management through a deeper understanding of their interactions with the farming ecosystem. The investment aims to investigate these strategies and offer actionable recommendations to reduce the economic burden of mice on grain crops.

Reference No.

PROC-9177049

Release Date

Thursday 28th of March 2024

Closing Time

Monday 22nd of April 2024, at 05:00 PM ACT local time

Offer Period

Offers will remain open for acceptance by the GRDC for a period of 6 months after the closing time.

Enquiry Deadline

Monday 15th of April 2024, at 05:00 PM ACT local time

Document Contact and Enquiries

Attention: Wendy Bosci

Grains Research and Development Corporation

Email: BRtenders@grdc.com.au

All requests for further information or clarification in relation to this investment should be made in writing (email) prior to Monday 15th of April 2024, 05:00 PM ACT local time

All requests and responses to requests will be published on the GRDC website under Questions and Answers at the bottom of this webpage.

Consortia response

GRDC will not accept Tenders from Consortia.

Lodgement

Tenderers must submit their responses electronically through the Grains Investment Portal at: https://access.grdc.com.au - Please read this entire page before lodging an application in the Grains Investment Portal

AusTender View on AusTender

https://www.tenders.gov.au/Advert/Preview/d01bbaa9-8ed5-40dd-8bc9-c2cefb699a8f

The Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) is a statutory corporation established under the Primary Industries Research and Development Act 1989. It is subject to accountability and reporting obligations set out in the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013. It is responsible for planning, investing in and overseeing research and development, and delivering improvements in production, sustainability and profitability across the Australian grains industry. Learn more about what GRDC does.

Description

In the last 10-20 years, Australian farming systems have significantly evolved, integrating conservation agriculture techniques like minimum tillage, stubble retention, and diverse crop rotations. These practices have not only increased profitability and improved soil health but also enhanced the resilience and sustainability of grain farming in Australia. However, they have inadvertently exacerbated certain pest issues, notably with feral house mice (Mus domesticus), which now find more favourable living conditions in undisturbed crop residues. These changes have necessitated a shift in pest management, with an increased dependency on zinc phosphide grain baits, raising concerns about sustainable pest control practices.

To address this, a comprehensive approach to mouse management is essential, focusing on reducing their food sources, habitat, and burrowing opportunities. Strategies may include targeted tillage, utilising seed destroyers, modifying crop residues, and considering livestock grazing. Additionally, a deeper understanding of mouse behaviour within these modified ecosystems can inform more effective and sustainable management practices.

This investment aims to investigate and refine these management strategies to offer practical, sustainable solutions for grain growers and advisers, ultimately reducing the economic impact of mice on grain crops and promoting ecological balance within Australian agriculture.

Outcome

By June 2029, Australian grain growers will have advanced capabilities for managing mice proactively, effectively mitigating losses and minimising the economic impacts of peak mouse populations. This will be achieved through:

A deeper understanding of mouse behaviour and ecology within contemporary farming systems.
New data and guidance on habitat modification and food resource reduction strategies, offering growers the tools to curtail mouse populations and protect their crops.
Enhanced bait effectiveness achieved through innovative studies on mouse behaviour, bait encounter rates, and consumption, thereby reducing mouse-related economic impacts.
Innovative strategies for protecting establishing crops from mouse damage.

Outputs

Output 1 - Habitat modification and food resources

Description: By June 2029, Australian grain growers will be empowered with comprehensive data and guidance on the impact and economic benefit of habitat modification and food resource reduction strategies on mouse populations in grain cropping systems.

Detail: This work will include in-depth exploration of the following focus areas:

* Focus Area 1: Habitat modification in crop environments.

insights on the effects of implementing habitat modification, such as stubble management, rolling, windrowing, and livestock grazing, on mouse survival, predation risk, and overall population dynamics.

* Focus Area 2: Reducing food resources for mice.

Assessment of strategies like sheep grazing, seed destroyers, and other tactics to reduce the availability of food for mice post-harvest.

* Focus Area 3: Climate uncertainty and non-crop habitats.

Examination of the role of non-crop habitats on mouse populations during different climate scenarios such as drought and understanding their use outside the grain-growing season.

* Focus Area 4: Dietary drivers of mouse outbreaks.

Investigation into the role of invertebrates as a food resource for mice and their potential impact on driving mouse outbreaks.

Output 2: Enhancing bait effectiveness

Description: By June 2029, Australian grain growers will achieve superior bait effectiveness in mouse management through knowledge gained from innovative studies on mouse behaviour, bait encounter rates, and consumption in no-till and stubble retention farming systems, reducing mouse-related economic impacts.

Detail: This work will include the following focus area:

* Focus Area 5: Enhancing bait encounter and consumption.

Research will concentrate on improving the encounter rate of toxic bait by mice by manipulating its physical appearance and base substrate.
Investigations will include laboratory and pen trials to evaluate bait manipulations and uptake by mice.

Output 3: Protecting the establishing crop

Description: By June 2029, Australian grain growers will have access to innovative strategies for protecting establishing crops from mouse damage to minimise economic losses due to mouse damage.

Detail: This work will include the following focus area:

* Focus Area 6: Enhancing crop protection.

Research will be focused on the evaluation of potential seed predation deterrents, especially for high-value crops.
Approach will explore practical aspects including efficacy, farming system fit, economic benefit and scalability to whole-paddock use.

Proposed Budget

Proposed Contract & Term

GRDC will contract under the terms of the GRDC Standard Two-Party Research Contract.

The schedule(s) attached to the contract will detail the project details: the outcomes, outputs, milestones, budget, participating personnel and required intellectual property.

The template Contract containing the proposed terms and conditions is available from the GRDC website at https://grdc.com.au/research/partnering-in-rde-investment/contract-templates

It is anticipated that any resultant contract in relation to this procurement will commence with a proposed term of 60 months.

Conditions for Participation

The following are mandatory conditions with which a Tenderer must comply to participate in this procurement process:

The Tenderer must be a single legal entity or recognised firm of partners
The Tenderer and any proposed subcontractor must be compliant with the Workplace Gender Equality Act 2012, the Modern Slavery Act 2018 and any other applicable labour laws and standards in the jurisdiction in which they operate.
The Tenderer and any subcontractor must not have a judicial decision against it (not including decisions under appeal) relating to employee entitlements and who have not paid the claim.
The Tenderer and any subcontractor must not be named on the Consolidated List, being the list of persons and entities who are subject to targeted financial sanctions or travel bans under Australian sanction laws, as maintained by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Minimum Form and Content Requirements

The following are the mandatory content and format requirements that the Tenderer must complete and provide to participate in this procurement process:

Submit Tenders using the Grains Investment Portal.
Write Tenders in English and express any measurements in Australian legal units of measurement.
Budget details must be submitted on the ‘GRDC Budget Template’ provided in the Grains Investment Portal.

Evaluation Criteria

In the table below are the Evaluation Criteria that the Tender Evaluation Team will use to assess the value for money of all Tenders.

No	Type	Weighting
1	Technical – Qualitative evaluation criteria related to non-price factors such as methodology, project plan, track record, experience.
1a	Methodology Describe the method/s to achieve the investment outputs, including: number of years and seasons of field testing, lab work etc. proposed locations of activities management and design of experiments etc. statistical design and analysis capacity.	40%
1b	Demonstrated Track Record Describe the method/s to achieve the investment outputs, including: number of years and seasons of field testing, lab work etc. proposed locations of activities management and design of experiments etc. statistical design and analysis capacity.	20%
1c	Intellectual Property A summary of the IP including: existing IP that you intend to use during the project and whether this would cause any restrictions on the use, publication or commercialisation of the intended project outputs new IP that may be created in the course of the project how IP will be managed.	10%
1d	Data Management An overview of your approach to data management in accordance with GRDC RD&E Data Management Guidelines, including: existing data that you intend to use during the project and any potential restrictions on its use, including in publication or commercialisation of the intended project outputs how all data will be managed during the investment new valuable data that will be created during the project and the Approved Repository where it will be stored.	10%
1e	Path to Market A detailed plan to deliver relevant project outputs to target audience/s, specifying: the target audiences for each output - e.g. growers, advisors, plant breeders, pathologists, GRDC information, products and/or services for each output the methods and structures for delivering of the outputs, which may include commercialisation, communication, and/or additional R&D.	20%
2	Price - The tendered budget.	N/A
3	Risk - Risks inherent in the application including the degree of compliance with the draft contract and any actual or perceived conflict of interest.	N/A

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