<PAGE>   1
                                                                    Exhibit 10-c

                               NORDSON CORPORATION

                        1982 INCENTIVE STOCK OPTION PLAN


         1. PURPOSE. This 1982 Incentive Stock Option Plan (the "Plan") is
designed to enable Nordson Corporation ("Nordson") and its subsidiaries, by the
grant of options to purchase Common Shares of Nordson, to retain and attract
executive, managerial, technical, and professional personnel for Nordson and its
subsidiaries and to provide additional incentive to such personnel through
increased stock ownership. The options which may be granted under this Plan are
intended to meet the requirements of "incentive stock options" within the
meaning of Section 422A of the Internal Revenue Code, as amended by the Economic
Recovery Tax Act of 1981 (the "Code").

         2. ADMINISTRATION. The Plan shall be administered by the Compensation
Committee of Nordson's Board of Directors (the "Committee"), which shall consist
of not less than three Directors appointed by and serving during the pleasure of
Nordson's Board of Directors. No Director who has at any time within one year
been eligible to participate in the Plan, in any employee stock purchase plan or
restricted stock plan, or in any other stock option or stock appreciation rights
plan of Nordson or any of its affiliates may serve as a member of the Committee.
The Committee shall have full power and authority to grant options under the
Plan and to interpret the provisions and to supervise the administration of the
Plan. All decisions of the Committee shall be made by not less than a majority
of its members and shall be final.

         3. SHARES SUBJECT TO THE PLAN. The shares subject to this Plan are
Nordson's authorized Common Shares with a par value of $1 each ("Common Shares")
and may be authorized but unissued or treasury shares as the committee may from
time to time determine. The total number of Common Shares that may be issued and
sold upon the exercise of options granted under the Plan may not exceed 100,000,
subject to adjustment in accordance with Section 12. Nordson may reacquire
Common Shares at the time options are exercised, or acquire Common Shares from
time to time in advance, whenever the Board of Directors deems such acquisition
advisable. If an option is surrendered or ceases to be exercisable for any
reason other than the exercise of related stock appreciation rights, the Common
Shares as to which the option has ceased to be exercisable shall again be
available for offering under the Plan. Upon exercise of stock appreciation
rights, the option or applicable part of the option related to the stock
appreciation rights shall be deemed to have been exercised, and the Common
Shares that would otherwise have been issued upon exercise of the option shall
not again be available for offering under the Plan.


<PAGE>   2



         4. ELIGIBLE EMPLOYEES. The committee shall, from time to time,
designate the employees to whom options are granted. Options may be granted to
any salaried employee of Nordson or of any subsidiary with executive,
managerial, technical, or professional responsibility, including any Director or
officer who is a salaried employee, except that no employee may be granted an
option under this Plan if at the time of grant the employee owns Common Shares
and any other stock of Nordson possessing in the aggregate, more than 10% of the
total combined voting power of all classes of stock of Nordson. An employee may
hold more than one option. The aggregate fair market value, determined as of the
date of grant of the option, of the Common Shares for which an employee may be
granted incentive stock options during any calendar year under this Plan or any
other stock option plans of Nordson and its parent and subsidiaries shall not
exceed $100,000 plus any unused limit carryover to such year.

         5. OPTION PRICE. The option price under each option shall be determined
by the Committee or by the Board of Directors and may not be less than 100% of
the fair market value of the Common Shares on the date of the granting of the
option. In no event, however, may previously unissued Common Shares be issued at
a price less than that permitted by the Ohio General Corporation Law.

         6. NOTICE OF GRANT OF OPTION. Upon the granting of any option to an
employee, the Committee shall promptly cause the employee to be notified of the
grant and terms of the option. The date on which the Committee approves the
grant of the option shall be considered to be the date on which the option is
granted.

         7. LIMITATIONS ON EXERCISE OF OPTIONS. An employee to whom an option
has been granted must remain in the continuous employ of Nordson or a subsidiary
(or of a corporation, or a parent or subsidiary of such corporation, issuing or
assuming the option in a transaction to which Section 425(a) of the Code
applies) at all times during the period beginning on the date of the granting of
the option and ending on the day three months before the date of exercise of the
option. No option may be exercised for one year from the date on which the
option is granted. Thereafter until the option expires, the option may be
exercised at any time as to all, and from time to time as to part, of the Common
Shares subject to the option. Notwithstanding any of the provisions of this
Plan, no incentive stock option granted hereunder may be exercised while there
is outstanding any incentive stock option which was granted, before the granting
of such option, to the employee to purchase Common Shares of Nordson. An
incentive stock option is considered to be outstanding until it is exercised in
full or expires by reason of lapse of time.

         No fraction of a Common Share may be purchased upon exercise of an
option.


<PAGE>   3



         8. EXERCISE OF OPTIONS AFTER TERMINATION OF EMPLOYMENT. No option may
be exercised after termination of an optionee's employment for any reason except
as provided in this Section 8.

            (a) If the termination of employment is due to permanent disability
         or to retirement under the applicable retirement plan or policy of
         Nordson or of a subsidiary, the optionee shall have the right to
         exercise the option in whole or in part within the earlier of (i) three
         months after the date of the termination of the optionee's employment
         or (ii) expiration of the option, except that, in the event of
         "permanent and total disability" within the meaning of Section
         105(d)(4) of the Code, the period in (i) above shall be 12 months.

            (b) If the termination of employment is due to the death of the
         optionee, the optionee's estate, personal representative, or
         beneficiary shall have the right to exercise the option in whole or in
         part within the earlier of (i) twelve months after the date of the
         optionee's death or (ii) expiration of the option.

         9.  TERMINATION OF OPTIONS.

            (a) Unless terminated earlier under Subsection (b) or (c) of this
         Section 9, an option granted under the Plan shall terminate, and the
         right of the optionee or of any other person to purchase Common Shares
         upon exercise of the Option shall expire, at the time determined by the
         Committee when the option is granted and specified in the notice of
         grant of the option, which may not be later than ten years from the
         date the option is granted.

            (b) An option shall terminate, and the right of the optionee or of
         any other person to purchase Common Shares upon exercise of the option
         shall expire, upon the substitution of a new option on a basis approved
         by the Committee pursuant to Section 11.

            (c) If this Plan is not approved by Nordson's shareholders within 12
         months before or after the Plan is adopted by Nordson's Board of
         Directors, any option granted shall be terminated, and the right of the
         optionee or any other person to purchase Common Shares upon exercise of
         the option shall expire.

         10. EXERCISE OF OPTIONS AND PAYMENT FOR SHARES. Options shall be
exercised by delivery of written notice of exercise to Nordson accompanied by
payment of the option price. Upon exercise of an option, the purchase price
shall be payable in cash or, if determined by the Committee when the option is
granted and specified in the notice of grant of the option, either (a) through


<PAGE>   4


the transfer to the Corporation by the employee of Common Shares having a
current market value equal to the purchase price or (b) by a combination of cash
and the transfer of Common Shares. Common Shares subject to an option shall be
issued or, in the case of treasury shares, sold only upon exercise of the option
in whole or in part and upon full payment of the option price. An optionee shall
have none of the rights of a shareholder with respect to the Common Shares
subject to the option until the Common Shares are issued or transferred to him.

         11. ASSIGNABILITY. An option granted under the Plan may not be
transferred or assigned by the optionee, otherwise than by will or the laws of
descent and distribution to the extent contemplated by Section 8(b), and may be
exercised during the optionee's lifetime only by him. A corporation surviving a
merger or consolidation with Nordson, acquiring all or substantially all of the
assets of Nordson, or acquiring 25% or more of the total number of outstanding
Common Shares may, without the consent of the optionee, assume or substitute a
new option for an option granted under the Plan, provided the Committee approved
the basis on which the assumption or substitution is made.

         12. ADJUSTMENTS UPON CHANGE IN SHARES. In the event of any change in
the Common Shares subject to this Plan or to an option granted under the Plan by
reason of a merger, consolidation, reorganization, or other corporate
transaction or of a stock dividend, stock split, or other capital adjustment,
the total number and class of shares that may be issued and sold upon exercise
of options to be granted under the Plan, the number and class of shares subject
to each outstanding option, and the option price with respect to such shares
shall be appropriately adjusted by the Committee, whose determination shall be
final.

         13. SUBSTITUTE STOCK OPTIONS. Notwithstanding any other provisions of
this Plan, options may be granted under this Plan in substitution for options to
purchase shares of capital stock of another corporation which is merged into,
consolidated with, or all or a substantial portion of the property or stock of
which is acquired by Nordson or a subsidiary of Nordson. The terms, provisions,
and benefits to optionees of such substitute options may in any or all respects
be identical to the terms, provisions, and benefits to optionees of the options
of the other corporation on the date of substitution, except that such
substitute options shall provide for the purchase of Common Shares of Nordson
instead of shares of such other corporation.

         14. PURCHASE FOR INVESTMENT. Each person exercising an option may be
required by Nordson to furnish a representation that he is acquiring the Common
Shares upon exercise of the option as an investment and not with a view to
distribution if Nordson, in its sole discretion, determined that the
representation is needed to insure that the resale or other disposition of the
Common Shares will not involve a violation of the Securities Act of 1933, as
amended, or of applicable state securities laws. Any such


<PAGE>   5

representation shall cease to be applicable when the representation is no longer
needed for such purpose. To assure compliance with the representation, Nordson
may place a legend or other symbol on any certificate for Common Shares issued
or sold under the Plan and may issue stop transfer orders or similar
instructions to the transfer agent for its Common Shares.

         15. COMPLIANCE WITH SECURITIES LAWS. No Common Shares may be issued and
sold and no share certificate may be delivered upon exercise of an option until
Nordson has taken all actions then required to comply with the Securities Act of
1933, as amended, the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, the Ohio
Securities Act, as amended, any other applicable state securities laws, and any
exchange on which the Common Shares may be listed.

         16. DURATION AND TERMINATION OF THE PLAN. The Plan shall remain in
effect until December 31, 1991, and shall then terminate, unless terminated at
an earlier date by action of the Board of Directors; provided, however, that
termination of the Plan shall not affect options previously granted.

         17. AMENDMENT OF THE PLAN. The Board of Directors may from time to time
amend this Plan, although no such amendment may, without the approval of
shareholders, increase the total number of Common Shares that may be issued and
sold upon exercise of options granted under the Plan (except in accordance with
Section 12), reduce the option price at which options may be exercised, extend
the time within which options may be granted under the Plan or the time within
which an option may be exercised, or change the requirements relating to either
eligibility for participation in the Plan or administration of the Plan. Except
in accordance with Section 12, neither the Board of Directors nor the Committee
may, without the consent of the optionee, impair an option previously granted
under the Plan.

         18. EFFECTIVE DATE. This Plan shall become effective when adopted by
Nordson's Board of Directors, subject to approval by Nordson's shareholders
within 12 months before or after such adoption.

Adopted by the Board of Directors
January 18, 1982