o:8768 Traditional agricultural use of wild plants as a green fertilizer of cultivated crops and for insect and rodent control on Rujan Mt (Serbia) Традиционална пољопривредна употреба самониклих биљака као зеленишног ђубрива гајених усева и за сузбијање инсеката и глодара на планини Рујан (Србија) en sr Abstract: In the region of the Rujan Mountain (southeastern Serbia), the population is mainly engaged in agriculture. Knowledge about the traditional use of plants as green fertilizer for cultivated crops and for the control of insects and rodents in agriculture is of extraordinary importance. With the extinction of the older population, this knowledge is lost if it is not passed on to younger generations or is not taken note of. The survey was conducted among the population (130 respondents) from 25 villages in two municipalities of the Rujan Mt. (Bujanovac and Preševo), which represent a multicultural border area inhabited by Serbs and Albanians. The questionnaire was open-ended. It contained general information about the respondents, and a specific questions related to the use of wild plants. The aim of this research is to collect data on the traditional use of wild plants in agriculture as green manure and in controlling insects and rodents. This paper deals with three traditional uses of wild plants in agriculture: 1) as green fertilizer for cultivated crops (50 reports), 2) as a substitute for chemical insecticides (53 reports), and 3) as a substitute for chemical rodenticides (56 reports). Regarding the use of wild plants as fertilizer of cultivated crops, respondents made 50 reports on the use of the aerial part of only one plant species, ''kopriva'' in Serbian, nettle - Urtica dioica. This use was recorded among both ethnic groups of the population. The Serbs gave 36 reports on the use of nettle, while the Albanians gave 14 reports. The use of wild plants to control harmful insects was recorded only among Serbs (41 respondents), while the Albanians did not mention this type of use. A total of 53 reports on the use of the aerial parts of 3 plant species as a substitute for chemical insecticides were recorded: dittany, ''rusten'' - Dictamnus albus (29 reports), cypress spurge, ''mlečajka'' - Euphorbia cyparissias (23 reports), and basil, ''bosiljak'' - Ocimum basilicum (1 report). The question in the survey about the use of wild plants to control harmful rodents was only answered by Serbs (56 reports, 40 respondents). For this use, the respondents stated that they use the aerial part of the plant ''smrdljivka'' - common thornapple, Datura stramonium (26 reports), and the fruit of the plant called ''ab'd'' between the local population - dwarf elderberry, Sambucus ebulus (30 reports). In comparisson with previously published ethnobotanical papers in Serbia and the Balkans, on Rujan Mt it was highlighted the use of aerial parts of the species Dictamnus albus and Euphorbia cyparissias as a substitute for chemical insecticides and the species Datura stramonium and Sambucus ebulus as a substitute for chemical rodenticides, as novelties of this study, which can be confirmed by further chemical-pharmacological testing. Thе data in this paper can be used in agricultural technology for the production of various products based on substances of natural origin and preventing the use of chemical agents in agriculture. Keywords: Rujan Mt., green fertilizer of cultivated crops, Urtica dioica, insect control, Dictamnus albus, Euphorbia cyparissias, rodent control, Datura stramonium, Sambucus ebulus 1552099 10.46793/EtnBot25.069S 1552101 2812-751X 2025-12-21T14:58:17.436Z 44 yes 46 Milica N. Simić 46 Nataša M. Joković 46 Bojan K. Zlatković 46 Jelena S. Matejić 46 Saša S. Stanković 46 Marija S. Marković 0000-0002-6070-6844 application/pdf 1104674 https://unilib.phaidrabg.rs/o:8768 no yes 16 70 92000001 71A07 ЕТНОБОТАНИКА 5 69 108 Истраживачко друштво „Бабин нос“, Темска, Пирот Институт за шумарство, Београд Штампарија „Свен“, Ниш 2025