What is detasseling?

“Detasseling corn is removing the immature pollen-producing bodies, the tassel, from the tops of corn (maize) plants and placing them on the ground. It is a form of pollination control, employed to cross-breed, or hybridize, two varieties of corn.

In addition to being more physically uniform, hybrid corn produces dramatically higher yields than corn produced by open pollination, as well as other desirable traits, such as disease, drought, and weather resistance. The detasseling process usually involves the use of both specialized machines and human labor.”