Apical dominance
Suppression of the growth of lateral buds by a shoot tip (apex). The apical bud is the terminal or topmost bud on a stem. The dominance of the apical bud accounts for the upward growth of most plants, which can be suppressed by natural plant processes, by ‘stopping’ (i.e. removing the tip), and by appropriate pruning to encourage branched, bushy, lower growth.