Plant genetics

Plant genetics is the study of genes, genetic diversity, and heredity in plants, with a particular emphasis on their reproductive biology. It is usually regarded to be a branch of biology and botany, but it interacts with a wide range of other life sciences on a regular basis and is closely associated with the study of information systems. Plant genetics is related to animal genetics in many respects, but varies from it in a few important aspects.

Gregor Mendel, an Augustinian monk and scientist who lived in the late nineteenth century, is credited with discovering genetics. Dr. Gregor Mendel investigated "trait inheritance," or patterns in the way characteristics are passed down from one generation to the next. He made the observation that organisms (most notably pea plants) acquire characteristics in discrete "units of inheritance" rather than in continuous "units of inheritance." Despite the fact that this word is still in use today, it serves as an imprecise description of what is referred to as a gene. A large part of Mendel's work with plants continues to serve as the foundation for current plant genetics.

Plants, like all other known creatures, utilise DNA to pass on their characteristics to their offspring. Animal genetics is typically concerned with parentage and lineage, but this may be more challenging in plant genetics owing to the fact that plants, unlike most animals, can be self-fertile, which makes it more difficult to determine parentage and lineage. Many plants have specific genetic abilities that make speciation easier, such as being well suited to polyploidy, which makes them more susceptible to extinction. In that they are able to generate energy-dense carbohydrates via photosynthesis, which is accomplished through the utilisation of chloroplasts, plants are one of nature's wonders. Chloroplasts, like the apparently related mitochondria, are self-contained organisms that contain their own DNA. Consequently, chloroplasts serve as an additional repository for genes and genetic variety, and they also offer an additional layer of genetic complexity that is not present in mammals.

There are significant economic implications to the study of plant genetics: many staple crops are genetically modified in order to enhance yields, impart insect and disease resistance, offer herbicide resistance, or to improve their nutritional value.