How many pairs of contrasting traits in pea plant were studied by Mendel?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → 7
Mendel worked on the garden pea. He chose 14 true-breeding varieties, taken as pairs that were alike except for one character. This gives 7 pairs of contrasting traits: stem height (tall/dwarf), flower colour (violet/white), flower position (axial/terminal), pod shape (inflated/constricted), pod colour (green/yellow), seed shape (round/wrinkled) and seed colour (yellow/green).
A true-breeding line is one that gives the same trait in every generation when it self-pollinates. The number 14 counts the varieties, and the number 7 counts the pairs of traits.
NCERT Extract:
Mendel’s Laws of Inheritance – “… Mendel conducted such artificial pollination/cross pollination experiments using several true-breeding pea lines. A true-breeding line is one that, having undergone continuous self-pollination, shows the stable trait inheritance and expression for several generations. Mendel selected 14 true-breeding pea plant varieties, as pairs which were similar except for one character with contrasting traits.”