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Inverse zero-sum problems II

Let $G$ be an additive finite abelian group. A sequence over $G$ is called a minimal zero-sum sequence if the sum of its terms is zero and no proper subsequence has this property. Davenport's constant of $G$ is the maximum of the lengths of the minimal zero-sum sequences over $G$. Its value is well-known for groups of rank two. We investigate the structure of minimal zero-sum sequences of maximal length for groups of rank two. Assuming a well-supported conjecture on this problem for groups of the form $C_m \oplus C_m$, we determine the structure of these sequences for groups of rank two. Combining our result and partial results on this conjecture, yields unconditional results for certain groups of rank two.