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question about detassling

Corn is normally self-pollinating, and the tassel produces the pollen. In order to produce a specific hybrid, the seed corn company puts the specific pollen they want on the corn plants by other means.
 
It"s done only in hybrid seed production, to control parentage, and effect the cross of two parents. The resulting crop is not a big yielder- maybe 50-100 bpa, but that seed is the hybrid we buy and plant, resulting in today"s yields. Thus, the term, hybrid vigor.
 
I think its actually by "natural" means, and thats the reason for the de-tasseling. To get A-B hybrid seed, plant 6 rows of A variety, then 2 rows of B, and so on across the field. Detassel the 6 A rows, so all polination is by the B plants. At harvest, use 6 row combine to harvest the A row corn for seed, as it will be A-B hybrid. Bring in an old geezer with a 2 row corn picker (preferably on an Oliver tractor ;>) to pick the B rows, and let him take it home to feed the pigs.
 
Nancy everyone has said the right things except for explaining the mechanism.
The tassel (top of the corn plant) produces the pollen which falls onto the ear silk strands coming from the top of each ear. Thre is a silk for each kernel and each is pollenated to produce a full ear. (That's why heavy wind and rain are not desirable during pollenation) ome companies bring the tops from one field (variety) to another field and shake the tops/tassels on each ear to get the desired hybrid.
 
When we detassled, the male rows were destroyed as soon as polinaion was over. They used a high-boy sprayer with a big iron wheel with cleats on that ran over the male rows,breaking the male rows off, and somewhat chopping it. This was for one of the biggest seed corn companies in the US. Harold
 
Male rows and end rows are destroyed as soon as pollination in over. They don't want the change that some of it gets accidentally harvested. They used to let you harvest the end rows as silage but not anymore.
 
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