o:8776 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 зеленишно ђубриво гајених усева и за сузбијање инсеката и глодара на планини Рујан (Србија) en sr Abstract: In the region of the Rujan Mountains (south-eastern 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 respondents gave 639 reports about the use of wild plants for 8 different purposes. This paper discusses only 3 use of wild plants for purposes in agriculture: 1) the use of wild plants for the purpose of as a greenfertilizer for cultivated plants (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 in as fertilizer of cultivated crops, respondents made 50 reports on the use of the aerial part of only one plant species, "kopriva" - 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 as a substitute for chemical insecticides was reported only by the 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: "rusten" - Dictamnus albus (29 reports), "mlečajka" - Euphorbia cyparissias (23 reports), and "bosiljak" - Ocimum basilicum (1 report). The question in the survey about the use of plants as a substitute for chemical rodenticides (rodent control) was only answered by Serbs (56 reports, 40 respondents). For this use, the respondents stated that they use of the aerial part of the plant "smrdljivka" - Datura stramonium (26 reports), and the fruit of the plant called "abd" between the local population - 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: ethnobotanical survey, Rujan Mt, green fertilizer of cultivated crops, insect control, rodent control 1552100 978-86-903786-2-3 2025-12-21T19:22:48.324Z 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 3962247 https://unilib.phaidrabg.rs/o:8776 no yes 16 70 92000004 71A07 Ethnobotany : book of abstracts / Third conference about medicinal and wild-growing edible plants, Pirot, Serbia, June 26 - 28. 2025. 89 92 Истраживачко друштво "Бабин нос", Темска, Пирот, Институт за шумарство, Београд, Штампарија "Свен", Ниш 2025