1. to remove the tassel from (a corn plant), typically to prevent self-pollination in seed production
Usage: chiefly agricultural; transitive verb

Examples

• Farmers detassel corn plants to control pollination during hybrid seed production.
• Workers were hired to detassel the field before the pollen matured.
• The seed company detassels certain rows to ensure genetic purity.
• Detasseling is a common summer job for teenagers in corn-growing regions.
• Modern equipment can detassel large fields more efficiently than manual labor.