Q11 of 41 Page 190

What are the characters Mendel selected for his experiments on pea plant? (AS1)

The major advantages of selecting pea plant for the experiment by Mendel are as follows:

i. Pea plant has 7 contrasting characteristics which can be phenotypically distinguished.


ii. Every contrasting character has only 2 alleles and none of them are linked.


iii. The plant undergoes self-pollination thus easily produces the offspring’s with same traits generation after generation.


iv. Due to self-pollination homozygous plants can be obtained easily.


v. Cross-pollination for experimentation can be easily performed by emasculating the stamen of the flower without affecting the flower.


vi. They have a short life span and produce many seeds at a time.


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