HORTICULTURE

Detailed explanation-1: -Mendel carried out his key experiments using the garden pea, Pisum sativum, as a model system.

Detailed explanation-2: -With controlled fertilization, Mendel bred generations of pea plants with the confidence that there was little or no contamination from plants of other generations. Mendel managed mating by removing the reproductive organ of a flower (piston) from one plant and pollinating another plant of his choice.

Detailed explanation-3: -Mendel crossed pure lines of pea plants. Dominant traits, like purple flower colour, appeared in the first-generation hybrids (F1), whereas recessive traits, like white flower colour, were masked. However, recessive traits reappeared in second-generation (F2) pea plants in a ratio of 3:1 (dominant to recessive).

Detailed explanation-4: -Pea shape (round or wrinkled) Pea color (green or yellow) Pod shape (constricted or inflated) Pod color (green or yellow) Flower color (purple or white) Plant size (tall or dwarf) Position of flowers (axial or terminal)