In pea plants, the allele for yellow seeds (Y) is dominant and the allele for green seeds (y) is recessive. Two plants with the following genotypes are crossed:

Yy × yy

What ratio of yellow seeds to green seeds should you expect in the offspring?

A. 2:2
B. 4:0
C. 3:1
D. 1:3



Answer :

Certainly! Let's work through the problem step-by-step to understand the expected ratio of yellow seeds to green seeds in the offspring when crossing plants with genotypes [tex]\( \text{Yy} \)[/tex] and [tex]\( \text{yy} \)[/tex].

### Step-by-Step Solution:

1. Identify the genotypes of the parent plants:
- One parent has the genotype [tex]\( \text{Yy} \)[/tex] (heterozygous for yellow seeds).
- The other parent has the genotype [tex]\( \text{yy} \)[/tex] (homozygous for green seeds).

2. Determine the possible gametes for each parent:
- The [tex]\( \text{Yy} \)[/tex] parent can produce two types of gametes: [tex]\( \text{Y} \)[/tex] (dominant allele) and [tex]\( \text{y} \)[/tex] (recessive allele).
- The [tex]\( \text{yy} \)[/tex] parent can produce only one type of gamete: [tex]\( \text{y} \)[/tex] (recessive allele).

3. Construct the Punnett square to visualize the genetic combinations of the offspring:

```
y y
---------------
Y | Yy | Yy |
---------------
y | yy | yy |
---------------
```

4. Analyze the Punnett square to determine the genotypes of the offspring:
- The combination [tex]\( \text{Y} \)[/tex] from the [tex]\( \text{Yy} \)[/tex] parent and [tex]\( \text{y} \)[/tex] from the [tex]\( \text{yy} \)[/tex] parent results in [tex]\( \text{Yy} \)[/tex] (yellow seeds) for two of the offspring.
- The combination [tex]\( \text{y} \)[/tex] from the [tex]\( \text{Yy} \)[/tex] parent and [tex]\( \text{y} \)[/tex] from the [tex]\( \text{yy} \)[/tex] parent results in [tex]\( \text{yy} \)[/tex] (green seeds) for two of the offspring.

5. Count the number of each genotype:
- There are 2 offspring with the genotype [tex]\( \text{Yy} \)[/tex] (yellow seeds).
- There are 2 offspring with the genotype [tex]\( \text{yy} \)[/tex] (green seeds).

6. Determine the ratio of yellow seeds to green seeds:
- The ratio of yellow seeds to green seeds is [tex]\( 2:2 \)[/tex].

Thus, the expected ratio of yellow seeds to green seeds in the offspring is [tex]\( \boxed{2:2} \)[/tex].

Answer: A. [tex]$2: 2$[/tex]

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