Question

Stalk height in corn is a highly heritable trait. Your garden produces very short corn stalks, while you neighbors garden produces much taller corn stalks.
Can you conclude that your neighbor has a genetically taller corn than yours? If not, what other explanations are there for the difference in corn stalk height?
Describe a simple experiment to distinguish between these possibilities. Include in your answer the outcome that would show that your neighbors corn is genetically taller than yours.

Answer 1

Answer. Yes, genetically we can deduce that the neighbour's corns are taller by designing a simple Mendelian experiment.

The other possible factors that could have been possible for taller corn are excess nutrients in the soil to provide surplus nutrients to the plant. Adequate light, application of fertilizers quite timely, removal of weeds etc also determines the growth of the plant.

One plant from your garden and another from the neighbours garden can be considered as parents. Artificial hybridization can be accomplished between both considering one as male and another as female.

The seeds collected marks F1 generation, if these seeds on sowing produces tall plants then it means tall trait is dominant to the smaller one.

If the F1 seeds are self-hybridised then F2 generation is obtained. In F2 generation, 75% tall plants will be obtained, 25% short corn plants will be obtained.

Parents TT-tall X tt-short

Gametes T and t

F1 generation Tt all tall plants

F1XF1=F2

Tt XTt

F2 TT, Tt Tt and tt

Genotypes TT and Tt means tall

Tt means small

If the result comes out like this, it will be concluded that the height of the plant is genetically controlled.