Question

Why did Mendel choose pea plants for his experiments?
(a) Easy to grow
(b) Short lifespan
(c) Easily distinguishable characters
(d) All of the above

Answer 1

Hint: Pea plant (Pisum sativum) can be cultivated with ease and it has several unique variants. Other factors like availability and ease of management also contributed to its selection. A single plant showed both male and female characters.
Complete answer:
Mendel is known as the father of genetics. He used the pea plant for his cultivation because,
- It can be grown and cultivated very easily. It has many visible distinguishing characteristics like length, the color of the flower, the color of seeds. The characters were contrasting.
- The process of self- pollination for getting pure plant was also easily possible as the flowers were bisexual.
- Along with this controlled pollination was also easy to do.
- The life span of the pea plant is also small and it produces a large number of seeds. They had the ideal survival rate and resistance to diseases
- They are herbaceous and annual plants, and therefore can be grown two to three times in a year.
So, the correct answer is, ‘All of the above.’

Additional Information:
The seven traits taken by the Mendel for his experiments are
- Seed shape
- Seed color
- Flower color
- Flower position
- Plant height
- Pod shape
- Pod color
The dominant and recessive traits were taken of the above characters which are mentioned in the diagram below. A dominant gene overrides and masks the effect of the recessive gene present on the other copy of the chromosome.

Note:
By the help of pea plant Mendel came to the conclusion and gave three laws –
- Law of dominance
- Law of segregation
- Law of Independent assortment