Quiz
insideKWS contest
200 years of Mendel (part three)
From which of our crops do the seedlings shown here come?
In this case, we look at the color of the hypocotyl, the part of the stem that is found between the cotyledons and the soil. The hypocotyl is sometimes red, sometimes green. The trait segregates, revealing that the father was not homozygous or that there was cross-pollination.
200 years of Mendel
Mendel’s second law
In the summer issue of insideKWS, we presented Mendel’s first law: If the parents differ in a trait (example: flower color) for which they are both homozygous, then the progeny of the first generation is uniform, i.e. identical in terms of external appearance (phenotype) and genes (genotype). All individuals of the filial generation (F1) are heterozygous and the dominant trait is expressed in the phenotype.
Mendel’s second law describes what occurs when the heterozygous filial generation is crossed. The progeny (F2) from this crossing are no longer uniform among themselves, but segregate as regards both the genotype and phenotype: The dominant trait (red flower color) and the recessive trait (white flower color) occur in a ratio of 3:1.
Mendel thus described with his second law that the offspring will segregate if the parents used in crossing are heterozygous. We also apply that in reverse at KWS: If the progeny segregate, then at least one of the parents was not homozygous. |
Gregor Mendel would have been 200 this year. You can find more information about the researcher and his groundbreaking findings on the following websites:
www.gregormendel200.org or www.gregor-mendel-stiftung.de/200-jahre-gregor-mendel.
Ten prizes from KWS’ advertising media shop worth up to €40 each can be won.
Closing date for entries: November 4, 2022. The editorial team wishes you the best of luck!
© KWS SAAT SE & Co. KGaA 2025
