Question

In one of his experiments with pea plants Mendel observed that when a pure tall pea plant is crossed with a pure dwarf pea plan! in the first generation, F₁ only tall plants appear. 

(i) What happens to the traits of the dwarf plants in this case ? 

(ii) When the F₁ generation plants were self-fertilised he observed that in the plants of second generation, F₂ both tall plants and dwarf plants were present. Why it happened. ? Explain briefly.

Answer 1

(i)

The dwarf traits of the plants is not expressed in the presence of the dominant tall trait.

Tall : Dwarf = 3 : 1 ratio 

(ii) In the F₂ generation, both the tall and dwarf traits are present in the ratio 3 : 1. This showed that the traits for tallness and dwarfness are present in the F₁ generation, but the dwarfness, being the recessive trait does not express itself in the presence of tallness, the dominant trait.