detasseling

Removing maize flowers

Detasseling is removing the pollen-producing tassels from corn plants to prevent self-pollination, allowing controlled cross-breeding to produce hybrid seed.

It's labor-intensive work, traditionally done by hand in midsummer, and serves as a common first job for teenagers in corn-growing regions: I spent every July detasseling for the seed company.

agriculture

farming

Cultivating land for food

seed cornKernels saved for sowing
cultivationFostering growth through care
agribusinessCommercial farming sector

growers · cropland · irrigation · planting · field inspection · roguing · agronomist · yield · farmland · growing season

corn

pollination

Flower reproductive transfer

hybridThing of mixed parentage
maizeCob-bearing cereal crop
silksLustrous woven garments

ear · kernel · anthers · cross-pollination · seed production · husk · genetics · breeding · cultivar · pollen

labor

summer job

Temporary warm-weather employment

teenagersPeople aged thirteen to nineteen
seasonal workJobs tied to cycles
crewWorking team aboard

fieldwork · students · minimum wage · entry-level · outdoors · heat · early morning · manual labor · gloves · long hours

Categories

Midwest traditionscounty fairs, state fair, state fairs, potlucks, church suppers
MidwestIndiana, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota

Opposites

agricultural process stage

detasselingtasseling

Producing dangling ornaments

harvesting · planting · pollinating · sowing · reaping

pollination control

detasselingself-pollination

Fertilization within one plant

cross-pollination

Family

tassel, tassels, tasseled, tasselled, tasselling

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