Principles of Inheritance and Variation Question 25
25. Fruit colour in squash in an example of :
(a) Recessive epistasis
(b) Dominant epistasis
(c) Complementary genes
(d) Inhibitory genes
Show Answer
Answer : b
Hints & Solution
(b) Epistasis is the phenomenon of suppression of phenotypic expression of gene by a nonallelic gene which shows its own effect. A dominant epistatic allele suppresses the expression of a nonallelic gene whether the latter is dominant or recessive. For example, fruit colour of Summer Squash (Cucurbita pepo) is governed by a gene which pruduces yellow colour in dominant state (Y-) and green colour in recessive state (yy).