Test Cross

An organism who displays a dominant phenotype may be homozygous dominant or

heterozygous.  It is not possible to determine which genotype an organism has from their
outward appearance only.  A test cross can be carried out to determine the actual genotype of
individuals with the dominant phenotype.  This involves crossing the individual with the
unknown genotype with an individual displaying the recessive phenotype.  The offspring
produced are then observed.

If the organism with the unknown genotype is homozygous dominant, then all of the
offspring will have the dominant phenotype. 

If the organism with the unknown genotype is heterozygous, then half of the offspring will
have the dominant phenotype and the other half will have the recessive phenotype.

Example 1

In a special type of rose plant, red flower petals (R) is dominant to white flower petals (r). 
You are about to start up a business selling red roses.  You are going to buy red rose plants
from a farmer but want to ensure that all the plants you buy will produce only red roses. 
What should you do?  How would you do this and exactly what will you observe.

Red rose plants have the genotype R _    (RR or Rr)

Carry out a test cross and observe the offspring.

If R_ is RR then

Parental genotype:        RR              X                     rr

Gametes:                         R               X                      r

F1 genotypes:                                 Rr

F1 phenotypes:                   all red petals

But if

R _ is Rr then

Parental genotype:                   Rr                    X                  rr

Gametes:                               R          r                X                  r

F1 genotypes:                                     R r              and         r r

F1 phenotypes:                             Red petals       and        white petals

If any of the offspring produce flowers with white petals, then we know for sure our parents
have a heterozygous genotype.

If all of our offspring produce red petals, our parent is most likely homozygous dominant. 
We say most likely and not for sure since there was a chance that every time fusing of
gametes occurred, it was the gamete carrying the dominant allele that fused with the recessive
allele, even if the parent did produce gametes with recessive alleles as well.  Larger samples
of offspring need to be produced to ensure that indeed all offspring have the dominant
phenotype no matter how many offspring are produced.