Use of insecticide and fungicide for crop dusting slowly spread in the Americas and to a lesser extent other nations in the 1930s. The name 'crop dusting' originated here, as actual dust was spread across the crops. Today, aerial applicators use liquid crop protection products in very small doses.

Why is it called crop dusting?

Yes, the term crop-dusting did originate in agriculture in the 1920s, and it refers to the use of small aircrafts to spray large areas of land with powdered pesticides. ... The slang term crop-dusting likens the act of dusting crops with pesticides to “spraying” an area with one's flatulence.

What does the term crop duster mean?

Crop duster, usually, an aircraft used for dusting or spraying large acreages with pesticides, though other types of dusters are also employed.