Albugo occidentalis Albugo occidentalis Albugo occidentalis, the causal agent of Spinach White Rust, is an oomycete plant pathogen, although some discussions still treat it as a fungal organism. "Albugo occidentalis" is one of the most important spinach diseases in North America, found throughout the United States east of the rocky mountains. The economically important host of "Albugo occidentalis" is spinach (Spinacia oleracea); although the oomycete has also been reported to affect plants of the genus Chenopodium, the genus including the crop plant quinoa. This pathogen causes white rust or white blister of spinach. It is unrelated to the basidiomycete rusts biologically, but
Vulnerability of nuclear plants to attack The United States 9/11 Commission has said that nuclear power plants were potential targets originally considered for the September 11, 2001 attacks. If terrorist groups could sufficiently damage safety systems to cause a core meltdown at a nuclear power plant, and/or sufficiently damage spent fuel pools, such an attack could lead to widespread radioactive contamination. The Federation of American Scientists have said that if nuclear power use is to expand significantly, nuclear facilities will have to be made extremely safe from attacks that could release massive quantities of radioactivity into the community. New reactor designs have features of passive nuclear