The horticultural practice of eliminating lateral buds to channel the plant's energy into the primary terminal bud. This forces the plant to produce a single oversized, high-quality flower or fruit instead of multiple mediocre ones. In livestock, it also refers to burning or cutting horn buds off young calves or kids.
Heard on the job
Disbudding takes hours of hand labor, but it's the only way to get those giant dahlias for the market.