Written by Steve McQueen, Alpine Agronomy Manager
Following my passion for soils and plants, I felt compelled to continue my thoughts around plant nutrition and how hidden hunger affects our crops. Though it goes unnoticed as an invisible threat to our agricultural productivity, it manifests itself in so many ways.
Hidden hunger is a subtle yet significant deficiency of essential micronutrients that are not easily detected, but can severely impact plant health, yield and quality. Unlike acute nutrient deficiencies that show visual signs like chlorosis, stunted growth and a lack of root development, hidden hunger may not be detected until it is too late. These
deficiencies begin very early and may affect that first point of influence, germination and emergence.
As we continue to better understand the roles of micronutrients such as zinc, boron, iron, manganese and molybdenum, within plants, we are also learning how macronutrients require a balanced diet of them to improve nutrient utilization. Enzymatic functions, photosynthesis for vegetative growth, and reproduction development all require a micronutrient package to meet your crops needs. As we work to better understand these relationships, we must also consider factors such as timing, soil imbalances, intensive farming practices, high yielding crops, and ratios to improve our efficiency.
Addressing hidden hunger requires a proactive approach, such as soil, tissue, and sap sampling for early detection. A balanced fertility strategy, including micronutrients in your starter, followed up with a foliar program to both feed and stimulate plant activity and metabolism. With the extensive breeding and biotechnology that has been developed throughout our seed industry, it is important to understand that advanced technology also exists in our fertilizer industry. The synergy that we can initiate with these advanced technologies will amplify plant health, quality and yields, allowing us to capitalize on our crop genetics.
ALPINE® has been actively involved in managing hidden hunger for over 50 years. With a starter fertilizer that delivers a balance of N-P-K plus micronutrients, uniformly distributed with your seeds, along with our ALPINE Bio-K® technology that enhances both soil and plant metabolism and health. Alpine is also well positioned to utilize our Start2Finish® program, along with discussing a Reallocation strategy, to better align your crop plan and balance crop requirements.
Referring to the title of this article, it is the subtle yield deficiencies that we may miss. Although hidden hunger usually refers to micronutrient applications, it can also show up when we do not manage our macronutrients to uptake and removal levels, as we better understand nutrient availability to the crop. So, when considering your 2026 crop plans, make sure you understand the role and effectiveness of the products you apply. For more information on our ALPINE programs, please contact your ALPINE Dealer or District Sales Manager.