Grubs
Well-Known Member
I'm a pretty lit, so if this isn't coherient, just post a flame and move on.
A trait is something expressed (shown) by a plant. Color, leaf shape etc.
Each plant has 2 (or more but to keep things simple 2) genes for each trait.
So for example let's say we want to look at the color purple in plants.
Assuming there is a gene for purple buds, we can assign it a letter, like "p".
Also assuming that the same gene is responsible for the color in green buds, we can assign that a letter too, like "g".
Dominant traits are the trait that will win in a "tie". These are written in uppercase (like "G").
Ok, so let's look at a plant:
This plant has one of the following combinations (remember each plant gets 2): pp, pG, Gp, or GG.
This is because there are only 4 ways to combine 2 different things (get a penny and a quarter and try if you want).
If the plant has purple buds we know that it has to be pp because the plant will have green buds if it is GG, or pG or GP, because remember, dominace wins ties.
So
pp = purple
Gp = green
pG = green
GG = green
So let's say our purple plant (pp) is female (sex only matters to special genes called "sex linked genes" most of the time the gene isn't).
And we breed it with a green bud plant.
The two plants are the P1 generation.
Now the tricky thing about dominate traits is that we can't tell if the plant is GG, pG, or Gp, because of it winning ties.
Each offspring gets one gene from each parent. One from the purple plant, and one from the green
If we cross our pp with a green plant it will be an F1 which might be one of four combinations:
pp x GG (both plants breed true for this trait):
Since they take one from each parent, they will all be pG. All the combinations you can make with one out of pp, and one out of GG, all wind up being pG.
The four combinations are:
pG
pG
pG
pG
Get 2 pennies and 2 quarters if you want to prove it. It helps to put one heads up and the other tails up in each pair.
So all of the offspring will be green buded.
But if the green plant was pG instead of GG it would be:
pp x pG
Since mom will always give a p no matter what, we know the first gene will always be a p. Dad could give a p, or Dad could give a G.
So our combinations are:
pp = purple buds
pG = green buds
pp = purple buds
pG = green buds
So half will be green, and the other half purple.
If dad were Gp, you would have the same result as if it were pG.
To get something to breed true, you work toward getting pp. Which when crossed with another pp will always produce purple buds. Or GG, which when crossed with another GG will always produce green buds.
Breeding is trying to get the desired combinations expressing themselves in the same plant.
A less scientific, but longer used method is just to always breed the best male to the best female.
And yes, you can see improvements if you are patient.
This is just a basic first stab, but it is the part you have to get before the rest makes any sense.
Hopefully it will help someone get a little closer to understanding.
A trait is something expressed (shown) by a plant. Color, leaf shape etc.
Each plant has 2 (or more but to keep things simple 2) genes for each trait.
So for example let's say we want to look at the color purple in plants.
Assuming there is a gene for purple buds, we can assign it a letter, like "p".
Also assuming that the same gene is responsible for the color in green buds, we can assign that a letter too, like "g".
Dominant traits are the trait that will win in a "tie". These are written in uppercase (like "G").
Ok, so let's look at a plant:
This plant has one of the following combinations (remember each plant gets 2): pp, pG, Gp, or GG.
This is because there are only 4 ways to combine 2 different things (get a penny and a quarter and try if you want).
If the plant has purple buds we know that it has to be pp because the plant will have green buds if it is GG, or pG or GP, because remember, dominace wins ties.
So
pp = purple
Gp = green
pG = green
GG = green
So let's say our purple plant (pp) is female (sex only matters to special genes called "sex linked genes" most of the time the gene isn't).
And we breed it with a green bud plant.
The two plants are the P1 generation.
Now the tricky thing about dominate traits is that we can't tell if the plant is GG, pG, or Gp, because of it winning ties.
Each offspring gets one gene from each parent. One from the purple plant, and one from the green
If we cross our pp with a green plant it will be an F1 which might be one of four combinations:
pp x GG (both plants breed true for this trait):
Since they take one from each parent, they will all be pG. All the combinations you can make with one out of pp, and one out of GG, all wind up being pG.
The four combinations are:
pG
pG
pG
pG
Get 2 pennies and 2 quarters if you want to prove it. It helps to put one heads up and the other tails up in each pair.
So all of the offspring will be green buded.
But if the green plant was pG instead of GG it would be:
pp x pG
Since mom will always give a p no matter what, we know the first gene will always be a p. Dad could give a p, or Dad could give a G.
So our combinations are:
pp = purple buds
pG = green buds
pp = purple buds
pG = green buds
So half will be green, and the other half purple.
If dad were Gp, you would have the same result as if it were pG.
To get something to breed true, you work toward getting pp. Which when crossed with another pp will always produce purple buds. Or GG, which when crossed with another GG will always produce green buds.
Breeding is trying to get the desired combinations expressing themselves in the same plant.
A less scientific, but longer used method is just to always breed the best male to the best female.
And yes, you can see improvements if you are patient.
This is just a basic first stab, but it is the part you have to get before the rest makes any sense.
Hopefully it will help someone get a little closer to understanding.
