Agricultural electrostatic spray application: a review of significant research and development during the 20th century

Electrostatic force fields are currently exploited for beneficially increasing the deposition efficiency of finely divided particulate matter used as inputs in the production and processing of food and fiber crops satisfying basic human needs. This paper chronicles the scientific and engineering contributions of numerous researchers throughout the 20th century whose work has established both the fundamental basis and the technical implementation of reliable dust- and spray-charging methods and reviews various systems developed for electrostatic deposition of agricultural particulates. The paper is dedicated to Professor Emeritus Henry D. Bowen of North Carolina State University in recognition of his many years of creative leadership in agricultural electrostatics.