In North Carolina, most of the sulfur in surface soils is associated with organic matter. About 10 pounds of sulfur per acre are deposited annually by rainfall in North Carolina. Values for crop removal may be useful guides for sulfur fertilization on coarse-textured, sandy soils with clay subsoils at depths greater than 15 inches. Without them, however, no plant could survive and function normally. The micronutrients are involved in different plant processes and can react differently in the soil.
Copper moves very little in soils and thus can accumulate when application rates exceed utilization.
Copper is also held tightly by organic matter. As with copper, zinc is relatively immobile in soils and tends to accumulate. Manganese deficiency is generally caused by a high soil pH but can also be induced by an imbalance with other elements such as calcium, magnesium, and ferrous iron. Manganese availability in limed soils is decreased with increasing levels of organic matter. Boron, just as nitrogen and sulfur, is highly mobile and is not readily retained by sandy surface soils.