The chemical composition and biological activities of the essential oils obtained from Serbian Artemisia species (A. alba, A. absinthium, A. annua, A. vulgaris, and A. scoparia) were analysed. The essential oil was obtained by merging several samples (same plant species, different localities) and the chemical composition was compared with pre-merging results. In the merged A. scoparia sample four components were not found in any pre-merging sample and one of those is present in the highest percentage (capillin 35.7%). The least toxic essential oil in Artemia salina test was A. annua, followed by A. alba (both showing medium toxicity), while A. absinthium, A. vulgaris, and A. scoparia showed strong toxicity. All tested samples showed activity against Drosophila melanogaster larvae in descending order ΣAS > ΣAN > ΣAV > ΣAB > ΣAA. The essential oil of A. scoparia has exceptional larvicidal activity (in concentrations of 2% and 1% causes complete mortality).
Keywords: Artemisia; acute toxicity; artemia salina; drosophila melanogaster; essential oil; larvicidal activity.