Testcross (Noun)
Meaning
A cross between an organism whose genotype for a certain trait is unknown and an organism that is homozygous recessive for that trait so the unknown genotype can be determined from that of the offspring.
Classification
Nouns denoting acts or actions.
Examples
- The scientist set up a testcross to determine whether the dominant allele for flower color was present in the new hybrid plant.
- By performing a testcross with a homozygous recessive plant, the researcher was able to confirm that the unknown plant was heterozygous for the trait.
- The testcross revealed that the parent plant was homozygous dominant for the trait, as all of the offspring expressed the dominant phenotype.
- To identify the genotype of the mysterious seedling, the geneticist designed a testcross with a plant known to be homozygous recessive for the trait.
- The results of the testcross indicated that the unknown genotype was heterozygous, as the offspring exhibited a mix of dominant and recessive phenotypes.