Question

A cross between a pure tall and pure dwarf pea plant resulted in production of all tall plants, because
A) Tallness is the dominant trait.
B) Tallness is the recessive trait.
C) Dwarfness is the dominant trait.
D) None of the above.

Answer 1

The purposeful mating of two individuals to produce progeny with desired genetic content is known as a genetic cross. The concept of crossing was first explained and implemented by Gregor Mendel, the Father of Modern Genetics.

Complete answer:
According to the study conducted by Gregor Mendel on the garden pea (Pisum sativum), seven characteristic traits were observed which followed a strict dominant or recessive pattern of inheritance. These characters and the inheritance of their associated traits can be explained using the following table:

Pea shape	Round [D]	Wrinkled [R]
Pea color	Green [R]	Yellow [D]
Pod shape	Constricted [R]	Inflated [D]
Pod color	Green [D]	Yellow [R]
Flower color	Purple [D]	White [R]
Plant height	Tall [D]	Dwarf [R]
Position of flowers	Axial [D]	Terminal [R]

Here [D]=Dominant; [R]=Recessive
According to the above table, tallness is a dominant trait of plant height.
Now, let us look at each option one by one.

Since tallness is the dominant trait, this is the correct option.
Tallness is not a recessive trait; therefore, this option is incorrect.
Dwarfness is not a dominant trait; therefore, this option is incorrect.
Since option (A) explains the statement in the question, None of the above cannot be an answer to this question. Therefore, this option is incorrect.
Thus, the correct answer is option (A) Tallness is the dominant trait.

Note: The work done by Mendel was not accepted and acknowledged when he presented his findings to the world, rather he was acknowledged for his findings posthumously when three botanists Hugo DeVries, Carl Correns and Erich von Tschermak independently rediscovered his findings.