Breeding Orchids

Question

A horticulturalist breeds orchids, trying to obtain a plant with a unique combination of desirable traits. After many years, she finally succeeds. To produce more plants like this one, should she breed this plant by self-fertilisation or produce more plants via asexual reproduction (cloning)? Explain your answer.

Answer 1

Sonia: The key here is meiosis. Even self-fertilization involves taking the plant's own pollen (male product of meiosis) and eggs (female product). Imagine the plant has genotype

AaBc, and that this genotype is responsible for giving the desired traits. 

In cloning, you take a cell from this plant and produce a new plant via mitosis (remember, the 'job' of mitosis is to accurately make an exact copy of the genetic material).

 

If you make a Punnett square of the gametes (pollen, eggs) made from an AaBb individual, you can predict the possible individuals that would result. Make such a table--are all of the offspring AaBb? Note that if any are NOT, these wold NOT have the desired traits of the parent.