Vanadium in Soil‐Plant Systems: Uptake Mechanisms, Ecotoxicological Impacts, and Microbial Remediation Strategies

ABSTRACT Vanadium (V), a redox‐sensitive trace metal abundant in mineral and fossil fuel deposits, is vital for industrial applications but poses significant ecotoxicological risks at elevated concentrations in soil–plant systems. However, this review synthesizes the biogeochemical cycling of vanadium, focusing on its dominant redox species, V 4+ and V 5+ , and their environmental fate, which is influenced by soil pH, redox potential, organic matter, and microbial activity. In soils, microbial consortia, including Pseudomonas sp., Geobacter metallireducens , and Methanosarcina mazei , drive vanadium transformations through redox reactions, with V 5+ reduction to less mobile V 4+ under anaerobic conditions and oxidation to soluble V 5+ during aerobic mineral weathering. In plants, low vanadium concentrations (< 50 mg kg −1 ) may enhance metabolic functions like chlorophyll synthesis, but higher levels (> 100 mg kg −1 ) induce phytotoxicity, impairing photosynthesis, disrupting ion homeostasis, and triggering oxidative stress via reactive oxygen species, leading to impaired plant growth and development. Environmental stressors, such as drought and warming, exacerbate vanadium mobility by altering soil moisture and microbial dynamics, while flooding promotes V 4+ immobilization but risks leaching. Phytoremediation with hyperaccumulators such as Setaria viridis holds potential, although it is hindered by challenges like prolonged remediation timelines. Despite advances, gaps in quantitative models for microbial responses and scalable remediation strategies persist. This review underscores the need for integrated bioremediation approaches, leveraging plant‐microbe synergies and nanoparticle applications, to mitigate vanadium's ecological impacts and ensure sustainable soil management.