The distribution and abundance of simple repetitive sequences complementary to the synthetic oligonucleotides (GACA)4, (GATA)4, (GTG)5 and (CA)8 in the genomes of several cultivars of Beta vulgaris and in the wild beet B. vulgaris ssp. maritima were investigated. Hybridization experiments revealed that all four motifs were present, though at different abundances, in the genomes of all of the investigated beet cultivars. Considerable intraspecific variation of the resulting DNA fingerprints was observed. The extent of polymorphism depends on the oligonucleotide probe. The most informative banding patterns were obtained with the (GATA)4 probe hybridized to HinfI-, HaeIII-, or RsaI-restricted DNA, respectively. DNA fingerprinting with (GATA)4 allowed a clear differentiation of double-haploid breeding lines (DH lines). We demonstrated that the application of oligonucleotide probes for DNA fingerprinting is a sensitive tool for genome diagnosis in cultivated beet.