Vanadium: Toxicity and accumulation by beans

Hydroponic and rhizotron studies were conducted to determine the effect of V on soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] and bush bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) biomass and mineral nutrition. In the hydroponic study, 6 mg V L^?1 (as VOSO₄) in the nutrient solution drastically altered soybean nutrition, and significantly reduced plant biomass. Vanadium accumulated in the roots but not in the aerial portions of the plants. The data support the hypothesis that tissue V and Ca contents are related with high concentrations of both elements in the roots, and low concentrations in the aerial portions of the plant. Analysis of data with the Diagnostic and Recommendation Integrated System (DRIS) identified Ca as deficient in aerial tissues. The changes in Ca concentrations induced by V treatment may also have antagonized the concentrations of others macronutrients, most notably K and Mg. DRIS also indicated that K, Mg, and Zn levels were relatively high. The rhizotron study, which dealt with bush beans grown in metal-treated soils, further showed that V was primarily concentrated in the roots of the plants, with very little accumulated in the aerial portions.