Understanding the Basics
* Genes: Plants inherit traits (like height) from their parents through genes.
* Alleles: Different versions of a gene are called alleles. For example, a plant might have an allele for tallness (let's say "T") and an allele for shortness ("t").
* Homozygous: Means having two identical alleles for a trait (e.g., TT or tt).
* Heterozygous: Means having two different alleles for a trait (e.g., Tt).
* Dominant Allele: The allele that shows its trait even when paired with a recessive allele.
* Recessive Allele: The allele that only shows its trait when paired with another recessive allele.
Let's assume:
* Tallness (T) is dominant.
* Shortness (t) is recessive.
The Cross:
* Homozygous Tall Plant: TT
* Short Plant: tt
We can use a Punnett square to visualize the possible offspring:
```
T T
t Tt Tt
t Tt Tt
```
Outcome:
* All offspring will be Tt (heterozygous).
* Since tallness (T) is dominant, all the offspring will be tall.
In Conclusion
When you cross a homozygous tall plant (TT) with a short plant (tt), all of the offspring will be tall (Tt) but carry the recessive gene for shortness.
