noun
- the process or act of removing tassels from corn or maize plants, typically done to prevent self-pollination in seed production
Usage: agriculture; common in corn breeding and hybrid seed production
verb
- present participle of detassel; to remove the tassel (male flower cluster) from a corn plant
Usage: agriculture
Examples
- Detasselling is an important step in producing hybrid corn seed.
- Farmers hire workers to help with detasselling during the growing season.
- The crew spent the morning detasselling the corn plants in the field.
- Detasselling prevents unwanted pollination between corn varieties.
- Many teenagers earn summer income by detasselling corn for seed companies.
- The process of detasselling requires careful attention to avoid damaging the plants.