Topping is a process by which a
mower
A mower is a person or machine that cuts (mows) grass or other plants that grow on the ground. Usually mowing is distinguished from reaping, which uses similar implements, but is the traditional term for harvesting grain crops, e.g. with reape ...
or similar implement is used to "top", or remove, the aerial part of a
crop
A crop is a plant that can be grown and harvested extensively for profit or subsistence. When the plants of the same kind are cultivated at one place on a large scale, it is called a crop. Most crops are cultivated in agriculture or hydropon ...
, in order to prevent
seed
A seed is an embryonic plant enclosed in a protective outer covering, along with a food reserve. The formation of the seed is a part of the process of reproduction in seed plants, the spermatophytes, including the gymnosperm and angiospe ...
formation and
distribution onto the soil. Typically, a set-aside
cover crop is topped in July or August, to prevent seed production and subsequent
soil contamination
Soil contamination, soil pollution, or land pollution as a part of land degradation is caused by the presence of xenobiotic (human-made) chemicals or other alteration in the natural soil environment. It is typically caused by industrial activity ...
leading to
germination and regrowth. For example, controlling the spread of
Soft rush or Juncus Effusus on wet land, such as
Purple Moor and Rush Pastures.
A variation of topping is often employed in order to create a more stout and bushy plant, one that is suitable for thriving indoors.
See also
*
Tree topping
Tree topping is the practice of removing whole tops of trees or large branches and/or trunks from the tops of trees, leaving stubs or lateral branches that are too small to assume the role of a terminal leader. Other common names for the practice i ...
Agricultural terminology
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