ABSTRACT
Crop culture is an ancient art that is believed to predate recorded history in China, Egypt, Mesopotamia, India, and the Malay Archipelago. However, some of the most striking improvements in agricultural efficiency and productivity potential have occurred in the West only within the last century. Exactly which individual first used an additive to enhance the action of an agricultural chemical is uncertain. During the early 1900s, various additives were tested, primarily for their enhancement of insecticide and/or fungicide activity. Examples of those studied are flour paste, glue, linseed oil, mixtures of starch, glue, and potassium dichromate; calcium caseinate and seamoss stock; caseinate, casein, and flour; and soaps, oils, and other materials. Little progress was made in the scientific investigation of herbicides until late in the 19th century. The principle of selective chemical weed control was born, apparently through serendipity, when it was discovered that bordeaux sprays applied to combat plant disease also controlled broadleaf weeds.
