What is Detasseling?

Detasseling is the removing of the top or the tassel of the corn plant. It is done so that the plant cannot polinate itself. The tassel is the male part of the corn plant. The ear shoot with silk is the female part and is located on the lower section of the plant. The pollen from the tassel falls onto the silk, and the corn plant is pollinated. These detasseled varieties are interplanted within rows of another variety that is not detasseled in order to produce cross-pollination. This creates hybrid seed corn. Detasseling machines will remove approximately 70% of the tassels. To remove the rest, people are needed to walk down the row of corn and pull the remaining tassels. The goal is to remove 99.7% of the tassels. Timing is very important. If a field is pulled too early, it decreases the yield. If it is done too late, the corn will polinate itself, ruining the seed. 

What is Roguing?

When seed corn is planted, some of the seeds, a very low percentage, are undesired. The undesired corn plants are called rogue corn. Roguers are the folks who chop or dig out the undesired corn.

What's the problem with rogue corn? If the rogue corn is allowed to mature, it will contaminate (pollinate) the hybrid corn. Roguers are told how to spot the unhelpful corn and eliminate it.