Question

Why did Mendel select garden peas for his experiments?

Answer 1

Hint: Mendel wanted to study and discover the process of how genetics work, so he decided to work on garden pea as working on garden pea will save its time and make study easier for him and to explain to others.

Complete step by step answer:
Mendel selected garden pea for his experiments due to the following characteristics:
(i) The first and the most important point which was there in the mind of Mendel is that garden peas need a shorter lifetime and are the plants that are easier to take care of.
(ii) They're self-pollinating, and thus, self and cross- pollination can easily be performed.
(iii) The various physical characteristics were easy to recognize and study.
(iv) The flowers of this plant are bisexual.

Additional Information: The seven traits that Mendel studied in pea are listed below:
- Type of seed shape i.e whether the seed is – round or wrinkled
- Seed color – yellow or green
- Colour of flower – purple or white
- Pod shape – inflated or constricted
- Pod color – green or yellow
- Position of flowers – axial or terminal
- Length of stem – tall or dwarf
Mendel presented his results in the year 1865 while experimenting on nearly 30,000 pea plants to the local natural history society, his results were based on the patterns he observed, the counting data he collected, and the mathematical analysis of his results.

Note: Based on his experiments on the garden pea, Mendel proposed the law of inheritance. The Mendel's laws of inheritance were three in number which includes the law of dominance, the law of segregation, and the law of independent assortment.