Review article

Importance of ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) for biological stability of agricultural habitat focus on cultivation of sugar beet

Renata Bažok orcid.org/0000-0003-1655-8140 ; Agronomski fakultet Sveučilišta u Zagrebu
Tomislav Kos ; Agronomski fakultet Sveučilišta u Zagrebu
Zrinka Drmić ; Agronomski fakultet Sveučilišta u Zagrebu

Abstract

The ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) are insects that are an integral part of the useful fauna agricultural habitats. The composition and abundance of species and the number of individuals are indicators of biological stability of agricultural habitats. Although measures of the common agricultural policy by the European Union encourages integrated production and conservation measures useful fauna, there is a lack of understanding of these issues in scientific and professional community. Due to the intensive cultivation of sugar beet, its growing can significantly affect the biological stability of the agricultural and surrounding habitats. Therefore, the aim of this study is explain the life cycle of most species of ground beetles occurring in agricultural habitats in Croatia and to analyze how certain procedures to be applied in intensive agricultural production of field crops, especially in the cultivation of sugar beet, can affect individual species. Constant monitoring of the number and composition of the ground beetle fauna would allow the assessment of the effectiveness of implemented conservation measures on useful fauna. For this purpose it would be useful to establish permanent observation sites on which ground beetle fauna shall be permanently monitored. As a permanent observational field should be selected fields to which the standard production technology is applied and where the crop rotation is applied in accordance with the common practice.

Keywords

agricultural habitat; beneficial fauna; bioindicators; cultivation practice; ground beetles; sugar beet

Hrčak ID:

169348

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/169348

Publication date:

1.6.2015.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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