A soluble DPNH-nitrate reductase (NRase) of the sugar beet has been purified and characterized. The occurrence of NO₂⁻ as an end product and the insensitivity of the enzyme to oxygen indicate that the sugar beet NRase is of the nitrate assimilation type. The enzyme was not associated with any cell particle and all NRase activity present in the homogenate of sugar beet leaves was recovered in the 20,000 x g supernatant. A sixtyfold purification was accomplished by ammonium sulfate precipitation followed by adsorption on calcium phosphate gel. At room temperatures and higher the enzyme was heat labile, but was relatively stable at -15°C. Dialysis at 4° C. did not result in an appreciable loss of activity. The optimum pH was 7.0. The NRase was sensitive to heavy metal inhibitors but it was not possible to show that Mo was the specific prosthetic metal. It was demonstrated, however, that chemically reduced Mo could serve as an electron donor. Thus Mo may be a cofactor for the enzyme. The reversal of p-chloromercuribenzoate inhibition by the sulfhydryl reagents glutathione and cysteine, coupled with strong inhibition by iodoacetate and cupric sulfate indicated the sulfhydryl nature of the enzyme. The partially purified NRase was stimulated to a considerably greater degree by FAD than by FMN. Rf values and co-chromatography in different solvents showed that a substance liberated from the enzyme preparation by acid and heat was not riboflavin or FMN but very probably was FAD. It is suggested that, in common with other assimilatory NRases of higher plants, the flavin nucleotide prosthetic group of sugar beet NRase is FAD. The presence of two NRases in the sugar beet was indicated by the fact that the crude "enzyme" was stimulated to the same extent by the addition of DPNH or TPNH, that the ratio of activities resulting from the addition of the two pyridine nucleotides changed with the degree of purity of the enzyme, and that the enzyme finally obtained by calcium phosphate gel adsorption and elution was DPNH-specific. That purification was not complete was shown by the presence of DPNH-quinone reductase and DPNH-cytochrome c reductase activity in the NRase preparation. A low NRase activity and a high nitrate content were measured in sugar beet leaves during growth in darkness. The reverse occurred in light. It is suggested that the diurnal variation in NRase activity may be the result of the fall of leaf tissue pH during darkness and its rise to approximate the enzyme's optimum pH in light. The possible participation of the NRase in a flavin nucleotide-catalyzed enzymatic photoreduction of nitrate was indicated by the coupling of photoreduction of FAD with the reduction of nitrate by NRase. / Science, Faculty of / Botany, Department of / Graduate

Sugar beet seed, S.K.E.-R-11, was obtained from the B.C. Sugar Co. Ltd., Vancouver, B.C. and germinated in flats in a greenhouse on January 29, 1954. The beet plants were transplanted to a fertilized field on May 2, 1954. A randomized lot design was chosen in order to reduce error caused by soil differences, moisture variations, and pH etc. Thirty groups of 10 beets per group were selected from the randomized lot. The leaves of 6 groups were frozen with dry ice and the other groups were defoliated, decrowned continuously defoliated, or used as controls. The regrowth on the continuously defoliated beets was removed every two days following initial defoliation. Defoliation was effected by slicing off the leaves one-quarter inch above the crown. Decrowning was done by cutting the beet root transversely just beneath the outer ring of meristematic buds. The: defoliated beets were used to serve as a parallel to the destruction of leaves by freezing. The continuously defoliated beets were a check on the defoliated beets, where it was considered that photosynthesis in the new regrowth leaves would partially offset a large sugar loss in the root. Two experiments were completed. The first experiment and treatment began on August 16, 1954; the second on October 13, 1954. Harvest times were at the 1, 4, 8, 11, 16 and 20 day intervals following Aug. 16, and at the 1, 4, 8, 12 and 15 day intervals following October 13. Enzyme activity only was determined in the second experiment. 'The fresh leaf weights of the defoliated and control beets were recorded and later compared with leaf regrowth weights and sugar content. The beets were harvested in groups of 10 beets all treated in one specific manner. Ten beets of each group were removed from the soil and each beet sliced diagonally across the centre region. The sections were washed in water and pulped in a meat grinder giving approximately 2000 grams of pulp from 10 sections. Three hundred grams of pulp was used in dry weight -determination. Forty grams of fresh pulp from each group was blended for 2 minutes with 100 ml. of distilled ice water in a Waring blendor. The solution was filtered through broadcloth and used in enzyme activity measurements. In the second experiment, 47 grams of pulp was blended with 100 ml. of distilled ice water for 2 minutes. The crown portion of the root was used in the estimation of invertase activity. A check on the sampling method showed that the 40-gram aliquot of pulp used for enzyme determination represented the sample. Sucrose percent and phosphatase activity were used as the basis of this test. The fresh pulp was analyzed for sucrose, invert sugars, dry weight, catalase, phosphorylase, beta-amylase and invertase enzyme activities. The dried pulp was ground to 40-mesh and analyzed for total nitrogen, sucrose and invert sugars. Insoluble nitrogen and starch-dextrins were determined in ethanol extracted pulp. Duplicate determinations were made on each sample. Percentages are based on both dry and fresh weights and given as T/C values. Phosphorylase, phosphatase, catalase, beta-amylase, invertase were measured. Sucrose, invert sugars, starch-dextrin3, and total and insoluble nitrogen were also determined. The.highest amount of leaf regrowth occurred 4-17 days after freezing. The results indicated no relation between leaf weights and sucrose content nor between root weight and sugar content in mature beets. The percent dry weight decreased in all treated beets from the 1st to the 20th days after treatment. This decrease is likely a result of sucrose loss and an increased hydration in the beet root. Sucrose percent based on dry and fresh weight generally decreased following all- treatments. A positive correlation between percent sugar loss and leaf regrowth is suggested. There was an increase in the amount of reducing sugars after foliar loss. The suggestion has been made that the monosaccharide sugars are utilized almost immediately in leaf regrowth or in (increased respiration in the beet crown. The percent, of starch-dextrins tended to decrease in the treated beets but this is most likely not significant. The decrease in percent of total carbohydrates found follows the fact that sucrose disappears. Total carbohydrate estimations seem to provide a reasonable basis for determining the amount of sucrose loss. Total and soluble nitrogen values decreased to the 8th day after treatment and increased after this time. Insoluble nitrogen results were generally inconclusive. The results suggested a translocation of soluble nitrogenous compounds to the beet crown where active growth was occurring. The apparent activity of phosphorylase decreased with time in all treatments. Starch phosphorylase in sugar beet root likely has a minor role in total carbohydrate metabolism of the tissue. Phosphatase activity decreased to -the 11th day in every treatment except decrowned. The reason for a lower apparent phosphatase activity in treated beets in this experiment is not known. It may be associated with an increase respiratory rate. There were no significant changes in beta-amylase activity and no correlation could be found between starch-dextrin content and amylase activity. Catalase activity based on monomolecular values, decreased with time after treatment. A decrease in catalase activity might be expected in the mature, cells of the root as the respiration rate decreases with age. A correlation between invertase activity and sucrose loss was indicated in the frozen and decrowned beets but not in the defoliated beets. From the results of this experiment it seems unlikely that invertase is alone responsible for a sucrose decrease. The results found in this experiment were largely negative. / Science, Faculty of / Botany, Department of / Graduate

Metabolic inhibitors and growth regulators were used in an attempt to control the growth of sugar beet plants at the time of "ripening" of the roots. Maleic hydrazide (MH), pyrocatechol (PC), and vanadium sulphate (VS) were found to be most effective in controlling growth regardless of the age of the plants. The solutions containing MH, PC, or VS were applied to the foliage of 4.5-month-old plants and the effects on leaf expansion and content of sucrose, reducing sugars, nitrite, nitrate, ammonia, amino acid, protein and total nitrogen were determined 7, 14, and 21 days after treatment. The rate of photosynthesis and respiration and the activity of nitrate reductase, transaminase, invertase, adenosine triphosphatase (ATP-ase), glucose-1-, glucose-6-, fructose-6-phosphatase, uridine diphosphate glucose pyrophosphorylase (UDPG-pyrophosphorylase), sucrose synthetase and sucrose phosphate synthetase was measured. Compared with untreated plants, with few exceptions, all treatments affected the growth; the chemical compositions the rate of photosynthesis and respiration, and the activities of enzymes measured, in a similar manner. Growth of the plants was determined by measuring the leaf area. MH, PC, and VS significantly inhibited growth of leaves under both "summer" and "fall" conditions. In the treated plants, the percentage reducing sugars, based on fresh weight of the root, decreased and percentage sucrose increased steadily. Application of MH, PC, and VS resulted in a significant decrease in nitrite and an increase in nitrate content of roots. Ammonium nitrogen of the plants treated with MH was more than that of the untreated plants on the 7th, 14th, and 21st day after treatment. Plants reacted with PC and VS had a lower ammonium content on the 7th and the 14th day but more on the 21st day. The soluble amino acid content of the roots of MH-treated plants was higher than that of the controls. PC-treated plants had a lower amino acid content on the 7th day but a higher content on the 14th and 21st day. VS caused a reduction in amino acid content of the roots on all dates of harvest. The rate of photosynthesis was measured by infrared technique. MH and VS caused a stimulation in the rate of net C0₂ assimilation, however, PC inhibited the rate of net C0₂ assimilation on the 7th day after treatment. The rate of respiration of the storage roots, measured by the Warburg technique, was lower than that of the control plants in the case of MH-and VS-treated plants and it was higher in the PC-treated plants. The results indicated that the application of MH, PC, and VS caused significant reduction in the activity of nitrate reductase, transaminase, inver-tase, ATP-ase, glucose-1-, glucose-6-, and fructose-6-phosphatase. These treatments also resulted in the stimulation of the activity of UDPG-pyrophos-phorylase, sucrose synthetase and sucrose phosphate synthetase. The inhibition of growth by MH, PC, and VS is discussed on the bases of the reductions in the activities of invertase, nitrate reductase, and transaminase. The increase in sucrose content of the roots is explained on the bases of low invertase and high sucrose synthetase and sucrose phosphate synthetase activities in the treated plants. The possible participation of the phosphatases in the regulation of sucrose biosynthesis is indicated by the negative correlations between the activities of phosphatases and sucrose phosphate synthetase. / Science, Faculty of / Botany, Department of / Graduate

Cercospora leaf spot (CLS), caused by the fungal pathogen Cercospora beticola, is the most important foliar disease of sugar beet worldwide. Control strategies for CLS rely heavily on fungicides including quinone outside inhibitor (QOI) fungicides. We collected 866 C. beticola isolates from sugar beet growing regions in France and Italy and assessed their sensitivity to the QOI fungicide pyraclostrobin. To gain an understanding of the molecular basis of QOI resistance, we cloned the full-length coding region of Cbcytb. All tested QOI-resistant isolates harbored a point mutation in Cbcytb at nucleotide position 428 that conferred an exchange from glycine to alanine at amino acid position 143 (G143A). A PCR assay was developed to discriminate QOI-sensitive and QOI-resistant isolates based on the G143A mutation. Our results indicate that QOI resistance has developed in some European C. beticola populations in Italy and monitoring the G143A mutation is an essential fungicide resistance management strategy.

Preliminary unpublished work at the Salt Lake City Laboratory of the Division of Sugar Plant Investigations, Bureau of Plant Industry, United States Department of Agriculture, indicates that beets showing the Y color factor (9) were larger than sugar-beet types recessive for this color factor (y y). It was suggested to the writer that an investigation be made to determine whether or not yield and sugar content were correlated with color factors in beets. Linkages between the R and Y color factors have been reported by Keller (9), and the results indicate a close linkage betwen color factorsR and Y, with about 7.5 percent recombinations. Abegg (1) has found linkage between the R color factor and the factor B for annual habit with a crossover percentage of about 15.5 percent. Unpublished data from the Division of Sugar Plant Investigations indicate several additional color factors in the R Y B linkage group. Yield and sugar analysis, as related to presence and absence of the R factor, have been studied by Nuckols (10). Nuckols' studies were made from a commercial variety and plants recessive for the red color (genotype r r) were separated from plants with red hypocotyls (genotypes R r and R R) at thinning time. He reports no significant difference between the 2 color classes in yield or sugar content. Since these data were taken from a commercial variety of beets by thinning to color classes, no critical information was secured regarding possible genetic linkages; but satisfactory data were secured showing 1 color to be as good as the other as far as production of sugar is concerned. In the present study hybrids were made between a sugar beet and a mangel wurzel. The sugar beet was a high sugar type of genetic constitution R r y y for color. The mangel wurzel was a high yield and low sugar type and of genetic constitution r r Y Y for color. A large F2 population resulting from hybrids between the sugar beet and the mangel made possible a critical study of the association of the R and Y color factors with yield and sugar analysis.

Thesis (M.Sc. Agriculture (Horticulture)) -- University of Limpopo, 2017 / Phytonematicides, mainly due to their allelopathic nature, might be highly phytotoxic to crops protected against nematode damage. Phytotoxicity issues are compounded by the fact that the efficacy of plant extracts on nematode suppression depended much on their concentration and duration of exposure to the nematodes. Phytotoxicity could result in low crop yield and/or even in the eventual death of the protected crops. Concentrations that were suppressive to nematode numbers, but phytotoxic to the tested crop would not be useful when applied as a post-planting phytonematicides. The Mean Concentration Stimulation Point (MCSP) values were developed from the Curve fitting Allelochemical Response Dosage (CARD)computer based model to ensure that a non-phytotoxic concentration was applied for each crop. The objective of this study was to determine whether a series of Nemarioc-AL and Nemafric-BL phytonematicide concentrations would provide the MCSP for beetroot (Beta vulgaris) under greenhouse, microplot and field conditions. The greenhouse treatments included 0, 2, 4, 8, 16 and 32% for each phytonematicide. The microplot treatments were 0, 0.8, 1.6, 3.2, 6.4 and 12.8% concentrations, whereas in the field trial treatments were 0, 2.4, 4.8, 9.6, 19.2 and 38.4%. Under each condition, treatments of Nemarioc-AL and Nemafric-BL phytonematicides were, in separate experiments arranged in a randomised complete block design, with the greenhouse, microplot and field trials having 15, 10 and 9 replications, respectively. In the greenhouse, seedlings were raised in 20cm diameter plastic pots, containing pasteurised river sand and commercial seedling growing medium Hygromix® at 3:1 (v/v) ratio. Each seeding was inoculated with 5000 eggs and second-stage juveniles (J2) of Meloidogyne incognita. Seedlings were irrigated with chlorine free tapwater every other day using 250 ml/plant, with irrigation substituted by the treatment once weekly. On the microplot, the procedures were as in the greenhouse except that they growing mixture comprised pasteurised soil collected from the site. In the field, seedlings were directly transplanted into the soil. At 56 days after inoculation, in the greenhouse trial, the effects of Nemarioc-AL and Nemafric-BL phytonematicides were highly significant (P ≤ 0.01) on root galls, contributing 77 and 72% in total treatment variation (TTV) of root galls, respectively. Relative to untreated control, the respective products reduced root galls by 28-72% and 43-67%. Nemarioc-AL and Nemafric-BL phytonematicides had MCSP values on beetroot of 18.1 and 6.4%, respectively, with overall sensitivity values of 0 and 1, respectively.There was no treatment effect on nematode since there was absence of nematode in untreated control.Under microplottrials,Nemafric-BL phytonematicide had significant (P≤ 0.05) effects on fresh root mass, dry root mass and root galls, contributing 20, 19 and 57% in TTV of the three variables, with relative increases for fresh root mass and dry root mass of 65-159% and 63-143%, respectively, whereas root galls were reduced by 82-100%. Nemafric-BL phytonematicide had MCSP value on beetroot of 10.2%, with overall sensitivity value of 4 units. There was no treatment effect on nematode since there was absence of nematode in untreated control. In microplots, Nemarioc-AL phytonematicide did not have significant effects on all plant variables. Under field conditions, the treatments did not have significant effects on plant variables. In conclusion, results of the current study suggested that under greenhouse and microplot conditions the MCSP values of the phytonematicides ranged from 6.4 to 18.1%, with a wide range of overall sensitivities of phytonematicides to the test of beetroot cultivar / National Research Foundation (NRF) and Land Bank Chair of Agriculture - University of Limpopo and the Agricultural Research Council Universities Collaboration Centre

A Calibrated Cuff Plethysmography device was built, tested for verification, and used to experiment on human subjects to measure the cardiovascular response of consuming a beet supplement, specifically looking at arterial compliance and pressure-area curves. Each subject was tested four times. A baseline was measured under normal conditions and after five-minute hyperemia conditions. 10 subjects were given 6 ounces of water mixed with either purple Kool-Aid (control), a SuperBeets supplement, or a SuperBeets Sport supplement and after 45 minutes, measurements were taken undergoing normal and hyperemia conditions once more. The verification testing demonstrated the calibration of the device was effectively able to measure volume changes using a stationary metal pipe and IV bag, showing an average percent error of 3.11%. Data collected during the patient experiment resulted in the expected arterial compliance curves as well as pressure-area curves, when measurements were taken properly, and the subject didn’t move. These tests were able to validate the use of the device for measuring arterial compliance and seeing distinctions between normal and hyperemic conditions. However, many issues were presented and are thoroughly addressed in this paper for future research using the same device.

There are presented the following parts in the final master diploma work: introduction, 4 chapters, conclusions and list of literature. Total coverage of diploma work- 57 pages, including 41 pictures and 6 charts. There are presented 51 sources of information. The goal of diploma work- to analyze traditional and protective technology of growth of sugar- beets and machines of soil treatment. To construe the movement of knifes of rotor cultivator in the soil. To investigate and compare sowing, harvest and qualitative indexes of growing the sugar- beets according different technologies. Main tasks of diploma work- to analyze technologies of growth of sugar beets; to overlook machines of soil treatment and their technological processes; to analyze the movement of vertical rotor cultivators and cultivators with horizontal roller in the soil; to investigate the influence of different technologies of soil treatment and sowing to quality of insertion of seeds of sugar- beets and to harvest of sugar beets and it’s qualitative indexes; to evaluate and to compare treatment of soil and sowing technologies of sugar beets by indexes of energy.

The United States produces about 1.8 million tons of sugar annually. Approximately 75 per cent of this production is derived from sugar beets. The importance of the sugar beet crop in national and world economy is justification for research effort as a means to more economical production. It is desirable that sugar beet processing be carried out in the most efficient manner. More effective utilization of the sugar beet and its by-products will add stability to the sugar beet industry. For the past 170 years, since Achard found that sugar could be used for human consumption and that pulp might be fed to cattle, sugar processors have made limited use of the non-sugar constituents of the sugar beet. These materials have been disposed of almost exclusively as livestock ration supplements. The non-sugar constituents have been largely responsible for failure to extract all of the sugar from the beet (13). As a result they have been viewed with suspicion by most sugar beet processors. However, recent development suggest that the utilization of sugar beet by-products will constitute a more important phase of the sugar beet industry in the future. At this critical period in the sugar beet industry, it is difficult to overemphasize the need for a better understanding of the chemical constituents of the sugar beet and the effects of various physiological factors upon them. One of the non-sugar constituents of the sugar beet which has recently received attention is glutamic acid. This has been brought about primarily by the discovery that the salt, monosodium glutamate, has an enhancing effect upon the flavor and palatability of many foods. Using the sugar beet as almost the exclusive source of glutamic acid, a new industry (utilizing over 100 tons of beet molasses daily) has developed to manufacture and market this food seasoner (28). Preliminary investigations at the Utah Experiment Station (14) showed that of all the chemical constituents determined, glutamic acid was the most variable. This agreed with earlier work in this field (16, 42). Being highly variable this constituent is a chief contributor to difficulties in sugar processing. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of some of the major agronomic factors, such as moisture, fertility, variety, and sampling date, upon the glutamic acid content of the sugar beet.

<p>Carabide pripadaju kosmopolitskoj grupi insekata, sa preko 40.000 vrsta &scaron;irom Sveta,<br />od tog broja 2700 vrsta je registrovano u Evropi. Trenutno se smatra da su trĉuljci<br />najrazvijenija familija podreda Adephaga. Desile su se mnoge izmene u sistematici<br />familije Carabidae od prvog kljuĉa za determinaciju &ldquo;Royal Entomological Society<br />handbook&ldquo; (Lindroth,1974). Prvi znaĉajan doprinos razumevanja ekologije, taksonomije<br />i rasprostranjenosti karabida naĉinio je Carl Heinz Lindroth, koji je pokrio veći deo<br />severne Evrope kao i razvijene delove Severne Amerike, rad Lindrota pratio je Thiele<br />(1977). Kasniji rad na identifikaciji karabida u Evropi izmenio je kljuĉ za determinaciju<br />vrsta centralnog dela Evrope. Takodje, napravljen je veći broj ilustrovanih kljuĉeva za<br />determinaciju karabida na prostoru Francuske. Karabide su tipiĉni polifagni predatori,<br />veoma znaĉajni za odrţanje agroekosistema i drugih ekosistema zbog ĉega su ĉest<br />predmet istraţivanja. Pored toga &scaron;to su poznati kao korisni insekti, odnosno regulatori<br />brojnosti &scaron;tetnih populacija, neki predstavnici familije Carabidae mogu biti i &scaron;tetoĉine<br />biljaka kako gajenih tako i korovskih, ĉime se uloga pripadnika ove familije znaĉajno<br />uvećava. Cilj ovog rada jeste determinacija imaga familije Carabidae i njihova potvrda<br />putem molekularnih analiza (PCR), kao i utvrĊivanje kvalitativnog i kvantitativnog<br />sastava trĉuljaka u poljima p&scaron;enice, kukuruza i &scaron;ećerne repe na podruĉju, Beĉeja,<br />Maglića i Rimskih &Scaron;anĉeva, tokom 2010. i 2011. godine. TakoĊe, je posmatrana<br />dominantnost, abundantnost, stepen faunistiĉke sliĉnosti karabida i uticaja<br />agrometeorolo&scaron;kih uslova sredine na njihovu brojnost i sastav vrsta. Tokom<br />dvogodi&scaron;njih istraţivanja u tri napred navedena useva i na sva tri lokaliteta, metodom &bdquo;<br />Barber posuda&ldquo; sakupljeno je ukupno 4.420 jedinki familije Carabidae. Kada<br />posmatramo brojnost po godinama, u prvoj godini, prikupljeno je vi&scaron;e jedinki tj. 2803,<br />koje su svrstane u 51 vrstu, dok je u 2011.g., brojnost bila skoro duplo manja, a<br />zabeleţeno je svega 1.617 jedinki, odnosno identifikovano je 47 vrsta, &scaron;to je u vezi sa uslovima sredine u datim godinama istraţivanja. TakoĊe, na osnovu dobijenih rezultata moţe se zakljuĉiti da je struktura karabida zavisna od vladajućih biotiĉkih i abiotiĉkih faktora, te kombinacijom ovih faktora stvaraju se specifiĉni mikroklimatski uslovi, a sa tim i karakteristiĉna fauna. Nakon uraĊenih molekularnih analiza, kod vrsta Calathus fuscipes, Poecilus versicolor, Amara aenea, Calathus ambiguus, Anchomenus dorsalis, Dolichus halensis, Pterostichus cupreus, Harpalus distinguendus, Harpalus rufipes, Laemostenus terricola, Pterostichus melanarius, Harpalus dimidiatus, Anisodactylus binotatus, Trechus quadristriatus, Carabus coriaceus, Carabus cancellatus, BLAST analiza je potvrdila status vrste koja je primarno identifikovana na osnovu morfolo&scaron;kih karakteristika. Vrste, kod kojih je utvrĊena visoka stopa sliĉnosti sa drugim vrstama iz istog roda i za koje nema referentnih sekvenci u banci gena, kao &scaron;to su Pterostichus (Poecilus) sericeus, Harpalus azureus, Pterostichus incommodus, Harpalus griseus, Pterostichus (Cophosus) cylindricus, Pterostichus vernalis, Pterostichus (Feronidius) melas i Calosoma auropunctatum predstavljaju doprinos svetskoj barkoding bazi podataka.</p> / <p>Carabidae belong to cosmopolitan group of insects, with over 40,000 species worldwide, where out of that number 2700 species is registered in Europe. It is currently considered that ground beetles are the most developed family of the sub-order Adephagae. There have been many changes in the systematic approach of the Carabidae family since the first determination key called &quot;Royal Entomological Society Handbook&quot; (Lindroth, 1974). The first significant contribution to the understanding of the ecology, taxonomy and distribution of Carabidae was made by Carl Heinz Lindroth that covered the greater part of the Northern Europe as well as the developed parts of Northern America; Lindroth&rsquo;s work was followed by Thiele (1977). Subsequent work on the identification of Carabidae in Europe changed the key for determination of the species of central Europe. Moreover, there have been a larger number of illustrated keys for determination of Carabidae on the territory of France. Carabidae are the typical polyphagous predators, very important for the maintenance of agro ecosystems and other ecosystems therefore they are often the subject of research. In addition to being known as beneficial insects, that is regulators of the number of pest populations, some representatives of the Carabidae family can also be pests of cultivated plants as well as weeds; therefore the role of the members of this family is increased significantly. The aim of this study is to determine the adults of the Carabidae family and their confirmation in molecular analysis (PCR), as well as to determine the qualitative and quantitative composition of ground beetles in fields of wheat, maize and sugar beet on the territory of Beĉej, Maglić and Rimski &Scaron;anĉevi, during 2010 and 2011. Furthermore, the dominance, abundance, degree of faunal similarity of Carabidae and the impact of agro-meteorological conditions of the environment on the number and composition of species were observed. During the two-year research in the three above-mentioned crops and in all three locations, using the method of &quot;Barber traps&quot; a total of 4,420 individuals of the Carabidae family were collected. When we look at the strength throughout years, in the first year more individuals were collected, that is 2,803 in number, which are classified into 51 species, while in 2011 the number was almost half that, and only 1,617 individuals were recorded, and 47 species identified, which is</p><p>related to environmental conditions in given years of study. Moreover, based on the<br />obtained results it can be concluded that the composition of Carabidae is dependent on<br />the ruling biotic and abiotic factors, and the combination of these factors creates a<br />specific microclimate conditions, thus the characteristic fauna. Having applied the<br />molecular analysis with the following species &ndash; Calathus fuscipes, Poecilus versicolor,<br />Amara aenea, Calathus ambiguus, Anchomenus dorsalis, Dolichus halensis,<br />Pterostichus cupreus, Harpalus distinguendus, Harpalus rufipes, Laemostenus<br />terricola, Pterostichus melanarius, Harpalus dimidiatus, Anisodactylus binotatus,<br />Trechus quadristriatus, Carabus coriaceus, Carabus cancellatus &ndash; the BLAST analysis<br />confirmed the status of a species that is primarily identified based on morphological<br />characteristics. Species, in which a high rate of similarity with other species of the same<br />order was found, and for which there is no reference sequence in the gene bank, such as<br />Pterostichus (Poecilus) sericeus, Harpalus azureus, Pterostichus incommodus,<br />Harpalus griseus, Pterostichus (Cophosus) cylindricus, Pterostichus vernalis,<br />Pterostichus (Feronidius) melas i Calosoma auropunctatum represent a contribution to<br />the world bar-coding database.</p>