Relationship Between Tissue Zinc Levels and Maturity Period of Field Beans

Most bean varieties (Phaseolus vulgaris) are susceptible to zinc deficiency and, if grown where zinc deficiency occurs, are invariably listed among those crops with the greatest need for zinc fertilization (1, 2, 3, 4). Bean plants with mild to moderate zinc deficiency symptoms early in the growing season may recover and produce essentially a normal yield. However, as several individuals have observed (1, 2, 3) this early-season zinc deficiency invariably results in delayed maturity. This is a critical factor in geographical areas where beans may be damaged by fall rains or early frost. The research reported here establishes quantitative relationships between the zinc level in bean tissues and the number of days required for maturation. The results support previous observations of delayed maturity when bean plants have inadequate zinc during early growth

Residual effects of natural Zn chelates on navy bean response, Zn leaching and soil status

greenhouse experiment was conducted on weakly acidic and calcareous soils to evaluate the aging and residual effects of three natural organic Zn chelates [Zn-ethylenediaminedisuccinate (Zn-EDDS), Zn-polyhydroxyphenylcarboxylate and Zn-aminelignosulfonate] each administered in a single application to a first navy bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) crop at several different Zn application rates. In a second navy bean crop, we determined the following parameters: the extent of Zn leaching, the amount of available Zn remaining in soils, the amount of easily leachable Zn, the size of Zn fractions in soils, the pH and redox potential, the dry matter yield, and the soluble and total Zn concentrations in plants. The residual effect after 2 years of Zn fertilization mainly depended on the aging effect of Zn chelates and losses due to Zn leaching. The data relating to the evolution from the first to the second crop showed that the aging effect was noticeable in the calcareous soil. In the latter soil, the Zn-S,S-EDDS treatments showed greater decreases in the Zn uptake by plants than the other Zn treatments and the greatest Zn uptake by plants occurred when Zn was applied as Zn-aminelignosulfonate (10 mg Zn kg−1 rate, 6.85 mg Zn per lysimeter; 5 mg Zn kg−1 rate, 3.36 mg Zn per lysimeter). In contrast, in the calcareous soil, the maximum amount of Zn uptake, for the three chelates was 0.82 mg Zn per lysimeter. Consequently, a further application of Zn would be needed to prevent Zn deficiencies in the plants of a subsequent crop. The behaviour of the pH and Eh parameters in the soils and leachates did not depend on the natural Zn sources applied. In this study, the easily leachable Zn estimated by BaCl2 extraction was not adequate to predict Zn leaching from the soils in subsequent crops

Influence of soil type and natural Zn chelates on flax response, tensile properties and soil Zn availability

A greenhouse experiment was conducted on weakly acidic and calcareous soils to evaluate the relative efficiencies of three natural Zn chelates [Zn-aminelignosulphonate (Zn-AML), Zn-polyhydroxyphenylcarboxylate (Zn-PHP) and Zn-S,S-ethylenediaminedisuccinate (Zn-S,S-EDDS)] applied to a crop textile flax (Linum ussitatisimum L.) at application rates of 0, 5 and 10 mg Zn kg−1. In the flax plant, the following parameters were determined: dry matter yield, soluble and total Zn concentrations in leaf and stem, chlorophyll, crude fibre, and tensile properties. For the different soil samples, the following parameters were determined: available Zn (DTPA-AB and Mehlich-3 extractable Zn), easily leachable Zn (BaCl2-extractable Zn), the distribution of Zn fractions, pH and redox potential. On the basis of the use of added Zn by flax, or Zn utilization, it would seem recommendable to apply Zn-S,S-EDDS at the low Zn rate in both soils. In contrast, adding the high Zn rate of this chelate to the weakly acidic soil produced an excessive Zn concentration in the plant, which caused a significant decrease in both dry matter yield and chlorophyll content. Furthermore, assessing available Zn with the DTPA-AB method proved the best way of estimating the level of excess Zn in flax plants. The soluble Zn concentration, which was established with 2-(N-morpholino)ethanesulfonic acid reagent (MES), of plant fresh and dry matter could be used as an alternative way of diagnosing the nutritional status of Zn in flax plants. In this experiment, the highest soil pHs were associated with the lowest redox potentials, which coincided with the smallest amounts of available Zn and water soluble Zn in soil, and the lowest levels of Zn uptake by flax plants

Cyber counterintelligence, defending the United States' information technology and communications critical infrastructure from Chinese threats

Cyber counterintelligence (CCI) could be the United States' best defense against Chinese cyber aggression of Critical Infrastructure and Key Resources (CIKR). The need to defend CIKR is essential to public safety and national defense. As technology evolves and continues to march towards the inevitable connectedness that brings systems in sync with one another, the United States becomes more vulnerable. Of the 16 total sector specific areas of United States’ assets, the Communications and Information Technology (IT) sectors are constantly under attack from threats both foreign and domestic. United States network defense claims billions of dollars invested in legacy protections such as traditional and next-generation firewalls, intrusion prevention systems, anti-virus, and web gateways, all of which no longer stop advanced malware or targeted Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs). The purpose of this research was to examine the use of CCI in defending the United States’ Communications and IT sectors against Chinese cyber threats. Why is CCI important to CIKR defense? How does CCI fit into the United States Intelligence Community's (USIC) plan? What are some methodologies used to conduct CCI? What motives does China have for targeting critical infrastructure? The nation relies on the Intelligence Community (IC) to be the eyes and ears of national defense. Information warfare needs active counterintelligence (CI) to act as an offensive weapon, a tool for rooting out attackers. Through misdirection, deception, and denial, cybersecurity professionals and the IC can prevent the next disaster. CI by nature can be offensive and active and it can be the first line of defense meant to mark targets and prevent them from harming essential systems. Keywords: Cybersecurity, Professor Cynthia Gonnella, Cyber, Intelligence, Counterintelligence, Critical Infrastructure Key Resources, CIKR