It is usually thought that spice and aromatic plants are used only and exclusively in households and restaurant management, i.e. in culinary. However, their application is very wide, multiple and various. Due to this, these plants are of significant importance. The use of aromatic plants is mostly based on biotic functions of essential oil. The biotic functions of essential oil are of physiological and ecological nature. In addition to this, essential oils are a part of the mechanism of defensive strategy, created by the plants during the long-lasting process of life world evolution.

The use of spices is almost as old as human society. They had an important place in all antique civilizations (China, India, Babylon, Egypt, Greece, Rome...). Depending on species, all parts of the plants could be used (leaf, flower, stem, root, fruit, seed, bark...). In some species more parts of the plant are used. Wild and cultivated spice and aromatic plants are used in our country. They are mostly grown on small surfaces, most often in garden plots. Rarely, there are also larger surfaces under these plants.

As a rule, spices are of very low nutritive value, so they are not considered to be a food. They give a unique, pleasant smell to the food and at the same time improve its quality, which increases the satisfaction in eating, increases appetite, and facilitates digestion. Their values come from the presence of essential oils. All aromatic plant products giving the taste to food and drinks are usually called spices. However, all aromatic plants are not at the same time spices, and on the contrary, all spice plants are not aromatic (they are added to improve appearance, color and taste). Aromatic and spice plants usually have also medicinal properties, and they are used for many other purposes. Some aromatic plants (their essential oil) have not been used so far.

Some of these species occur as weeds in cultivated plants, and in that case, they are considered to be harmful. Some other plants have many useful properties. Most of our autochthonous species of spice and aromatic plants have also a strong medicinal effect. Because of this, they are used directly or previously processed, for preventive and therapeutical purposes, in traditional (popular), and in official human medicine, veterinary medicine, and in pharmaceutical industry.

Many pests attack cultivated and wild spice and aromatic plants. Among them, the insects from the group of leaf miners have an important place. In the same way as other pests, they slow down and even stop the growth and development of the attacked plants, and often cause their decay. They considerably reduce yield quality and quantity (change of composition, loss of properties, pollution). However, the protection of these plants against pests, especially against leaf miners, is specific and very delicate. In fact, there is a big danger of additional pollution caused by insecticide residues. Detailed knowledge about harmful species and their development is the basis for successful spice and other species and plant group protection. Unfortunately, the knowledge of this problem is very poor in our country, as well as abroad. It is not known which species endanger these plants. Our several year studies are only a trial or beginning of solving the problem of spice and aromatic plant protection, without harmful effects on users.

According to available data from scientific and skilled literature, it is completely clear that the problem of leaf miners of spice and aromatic plants, researched in this study, has not been investigated so far in our region.

For several reasons, leaf miners must be researched in the highest possible number of localities of one region, and a big number of samples, practically all plants and leaves of one locality must be analyzed. So far, material from the localities of the regions of Vranje, Čačak, Zrenjanin, Bela Crkva, Subotica, Sremska Mitrovica, Vrnjačka Banja, Banja Koviljača, Studenica, Smederevo, Grocka, Obrenovac, Smederevska Palanka, Novi Sad, Belgrade, Čortanovci, Vršac, and even Budva and Ulcinj were collected and scientifically researched. 793 localities of the region of Belgrade were included into this study.

Collecting and researching leaf miners of spice and aromatic plants were carried out one or several times (most often three times), depending on species and number of plant species, interest for some plant species and leaf miners, as well as availability of the localities. The most leaf miners could be collected in autumn when it is easiest. However, the other aspects of vegetation must not be neglected, because all species do not occur at the same time. Some miner species (especially univoltine) occurs only in a limited period (early spring, spring, summer, autumn), and in a very short time interval. They cannot be detected before and after that period. Due to this, several checks of the same locality and the same plants are needed during the year.

According to literature data, 47 spice and 156 aromatic plants grow in Serbia. Having in mind the fact that leaf miners have not been proved on some spice and aromatic plants so far, the following 112 plant species were included into our experiment:

The studied plants (112) belong to 28 families and 85 genera. The most numerous species belong to the following families: Lamiaceae (29 species or 25.89%), Apiaceae (23 species or 20.54%), Asteraceae (11 or 9.82%) and Alliaceae (8 species or 7.14%). Together, they make 63.39% (71 species) of the researched species. 36.61% of plants belong to all other families (24). The highest numbers of the families (16, or 57.14%) are represented only by one species. From 2 up to 29 species of the investigated plants represent the remaining 12 families (42.86%). At the same time with collecting and registering the material, intensity of occurrence, that is, the number of each species was proved separately was estimated (by scale from 1-5). Population dynamics and course of development in the ecological conditions of Belgrade were researched in the species with extremely high population density.

Leaf miner material was collected according to the usual methods for this group of insects. Unlike most other insects, leaf miners were not collected in adult stage, which considerably engraved the work of the researchers. Leaves and entire plants (herbaceous annual plants) inhabited by larvae (primary adult) or miner pupae (if they stay into leaf), were collected, and after that they were grown up to the adult stage under controlled natural or laboratory conditions in biological test-tubes, flacons, cylinders, Petri-dishes, photoeclectors, entomological cages, etc.

The miners was determined, according to the existing tables for the identification of leaf miners, on the basis of host plant, view of damage, i.e. mine, small bags (for the species from the family Coleophoridae), adults and male genital armature (Hering, 1957; Kloet, 1972; Spencer, 1972; Leraut, 1980).

Together with leaf miners their natural enemies were collected and grown.

During the research of aromatic and spice plants in our country, 47 leaf miner species were proved, belonging to 4 orders, 14 families, and 23 genera. Most of the detected species (80.85%) belongs to the orders Diptera (20 species, or 42.55%) and Lepidoptera (18 species, or 38.30%). 19.15% of species belongs to the remaining two orders: 7 to Coleoptera (or 14.89%) and 2 to Hymenoptera (or 4.26%).

In connection with the collecting of the previous knowledge about the existence and occurrence of certain species of leaf miner in the region of the investigation, (Republic of Serbia), most of literature references were consulted before the beginning of the research: Bebić, 1955; Čuturilo, 1952; Dimić, 1976, Grujičić and Tomašević, 1956; Hadžistević, 1955; Jeremić, 1954, 1963; Group of authors, 1952, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988; Martinović and Bjegović, 1950; Spasić, 1988.

Leaf miners are small insects, which have no our domestic name. Because of this, only scientific, Latin names are used.

Diptera were most numerous. They were represented by 20 (42.55%), of previously known species, from two families and six genera. Most of the detected Diptera (19 species or 95.0%) belongs to the family Agromyzidae. Only one species (Philophylla heraclei L.) belong to the family Trypetidae.

Lepidoptera were represented by 18 species, from eight families and 11 genera. Nepticulidae (Stigmellidae) and Gracillariidae were families with the largest number of species (six species, or 33.33% and four species or 22.22%, respectively). Eight species (44.45%) were represented mostly by one species (only the family Coleophoridae by three species), belonged to the remaining six families.

It is not unusual that Coleoptera and Hymenoptera were less frequent. Seven species of the registered Coleoptera belonged to three families: Curculionidae (3), Chrysomelidae (2) and Buprestidae (2). The only two representatives from the order Hymenoptera were the families of Tenthredinidae.

Among 112 researched species of aromatic and spice plants, leaf miners were proved on 81 (72.32%), while on 31 species (27.68%), the miners were not proved in that period. Leaf miners, as inhabitants of the investigated spice and aromatic plants in our country were proved on the plants from 28 families and 85 genera. Most often, (71 species, or 63.39%) leaf miners were proved on the plants from four families of the investigated plants (14.28%): Lamiaceae (29 species, or 25.89%), Apiaceae (23, or 20.51%), Asteraceae (11 species, 9.82%) and Alliaceae (8 species, or 7.14%). 41 species of leaf miners (36.61%) were proved on all remaining 24 families of the investigated plants (85.72%). The number of the registered species of these families varied from one to five species. In the most families, only one species of the investigated plants (16 families or 57.14%) was proved for each family.

According to the results of the so far investigations, the highest number of leaf miners inhabited the plants from the following orders: Brassica (9 species, or 8.04%), then Glechoma (7, or 6.25%) and Artemisia (6, or 5.36%). From one to five species of leaf miners were registered on the other genera of aromatic and spice plants. All plants from one genus were not always inhabited by the same species of leaf miners. Some species of leaf miners were specific and characteristic only for some plant (species and genera) i.e. leaf miners were monofagous or oligofagous.

Most leaf miners were monofagous, or more rarely, oligofagous insects. However, also very poligofagous species can be registered, too. In a such way, the following polifagous species were registered on aromatic and spice plants: Phytomyza horticola Gour, on 41 plant species (36.60% among investigated plants), Cnephasia incertana Tr., on 35 plants (31.25%), Liriomyza trifilii Burg., on 28 plants (25.00%) and Liriomyzabryoniae Kltb., on 10 plant species (8.93%). However, the other species, although not polifagous, were very numerous (Napomyza gymnostoma Loew) and they caused a big damage on the cultivated plants.

1. Bebić N. (1955): Biljne štetočine na Kosmetu u toku 1953. i 1954. Zaštita bilja 30, 85-91.

2. Čuturilo S. (1952): Štetočine i bolesti biljaka na teritoriji NR Srbije u 1951. godini, Zaštita bilja, 21-42.

3. Dimić N. (1976): Pregled dosadašnjeg rada i vlastiti rezultati istraživanja entomofaune minera lista na području SR Srbije. Arhiv bioloških nauka, Beograd.

4. Grujičić G., Tomašević B. (1956): Paraziti i štetočine kulturnih biljaka zapaženi u dvadesetogodišnjem periodu (1934-1953) u Jugoslaviji. Zaštita bilja, 87-106.

5. Hadžistević D. (1955): Pojava biljnih bolesti i štetočina na teritoriji NR Srbije u 1953. godini. Zaštita bilja, 27, 89-120.

6. Hering M.E. (1957): Bestimmungsstabellen der Blattminen von Europa. Band I, II, III). s' Gravenhage.

7. Jančić R. (1997): Lekovite biljke, sa ključem za određivanje. Naučna knjiga, Beograd.

8. Jeremić M. (1954): Pojava biljnih bolesti i štetočina na teritoriji NR Srbije, u 1952. godini. Zaštita bilja, 21, 61-94.

9. Jeremić M. (1963): Pojava i rasprostranjenost štetočina i bolesti poljoprivrednih kultura na području SR Srbije, u 1963. godini. Biljni lekar, 12, 1-30.

10. Kloet G.S. (1972): A check list of British insects. Second edition (Completely revised) Part 2, Royal entomological society, London.

11. Kolektiv autora (1952): Izveštaj o radu za 1945-1951. Zaštita bilja, 13-14, 9-43.

12. Kolektiv autora (1979): Stanje biljnih bolesti i štetočina na teritoriji SFRJ, u 1978. godini. Glasnik zaštite bilja, 7/8,225-263.

13. Kolektiv autora (1980): Stanje biljnih bolesti i štetočina na teritoriji SFRJ, u 1979. godini. Glasnik zaštite bilja, 7/8/9, 225-288.

14. Kolektiv autora (1981): Stanje biljnih bolesti i štetočina na teritoriji SFRJ, u 1980. godini. Glasnik zaštite bilja, 7/8, 232-274.

15. Kolektiv autora (1982): Stanje biljnih bolesti i štetočina na teritoriji SFRJ, u 1981. godini. Glasnik zaštite bilja, 7/8, 252-313.

16. Kolektiv autora (1983): Stanje biljnih bolesti i štetočina na teritoriji SFRJ, u 1982. godini. Glasnik zaštite bilja, 7/8, 256-292.

17. Kolektiv autora (1984): Stanje biljnih bolesti i štetočina na teritoriji SFRJ, u 1983. godini. Glasnik zaštite bilja, 7/8, 239-258.

18. Kolektiv autora (1985): Stanje biljnih bolesti i štetočina na teritoriji SFRJ, u 1984. godini. Glasnik zaštite bilja,7/8, 238-265.

19. Kolektiv autora (1986): Stanje biljnih bolesti i štetočina na teritoriji SFRJ, u 1985. godini. Glasnik zaštite bilja,8-9, 293-307; 324-346.

20. Kolektiv autora (1987): Stanje biljnih bolesti i štetočina na teritoriji SFRJ, u 1986. godini. Glasnik zaštite bilja, 7-8, 262-282.

21. Kolektiv autora (1988): Stanje biljnih bolesti i štetočina na teritoriji SFRJ, u 1987. godini. Glasnik zaštite bilja, 12, 417-419.

22. Leraut P. (1980): Liste systématique et synonymique des Lépidopteres de France, Belgique et Corse. Bulletin de la Société entomologique de Franse, Paris.

23. Martinović M., Bjegović, P. (1950): O nekim bolestima i štetočinama utvrđenim u NR Srbiji, u 1949. godini. Zaštita bilja, 2, 59-69.

24. Spasić R. (1988): Bioekološka proučavanja Agromyzida Srbije, sa posebnim osvrtom na Phytomyza horticola. (Doktorska disertacija), Beograd.

25. Spencer A.K. (1972): Hand books for the identification of British insect: Diptera, Agromyzidae.Vol. X/5.