adjective
- having had the tassel removed; (of corn) processed by detasselling
Usage: agricultural
verb
- past tense and past participle of detassel; to remove the tassel or tassel-bearing top from (a corn plant), typically to prevent self-pollination in seed production
Usage: agricultural; chiefly North American
Examples
- The farmer detasselled the corn plants to ensure cross-pollination.
- Detasselled corn is commonly used in hybrid seed production.
- Workers spent the summer detasselling rows of corn in the field.
- The detasselled plants grew taller without the energy cost of producing tassels.
- Seed companies rely on detasselled varieties to maintain genetic purity.