Crop dusting with insecticides began in the 1920s in the United States. The first widely used agricultural aircraft were converted war-surplus biplanes, such as the De Havilland Tiger Moth and Stearman.

When was crop dusting invented?

In 1923, Huff-Daland Dusters, Inc. —the forerunner of Delta Airlines—did the first commercial dusting of crops with its own specially built aircraft. In the early days, aerial applicators were known as “crop dusters” because they worked with dry chemicals, mostly insecticides.

Where did crop dusting start?

Crop dusting

The first known use of a heavier-than-air machine to disperse products occurred on 3 August 1921. Crop dusting was developed under the joint efforts of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the U.S. Army Signal Corps' research station at McCook Field in Dayton, Ohio.