A pack of Eu-Sol Tomato Seeds contains around 100 seeds. By growing the seeds pupils can quickly observe how dominant and recessive inheritance works in the natural world. The seeds will produce a mixture of different looking seedlings - despite the fact they all come for the same parents. All the pupils have to do is record the color of each seedlings cotyledons and hypocotyls. Once they have done this pupils can add their results to an EU-wide database. Here they can compare their results to those from schools from all over the continent.

A cotyledon is also known as a seed leaf. The number of cotyledons a plant has is very important in its classification. Tomatoes are dicots because they have 2 cotyledons. Tomatoes' cotyledons are different from true leaves which appear later in the plants life cycle but like true leaves, they are able to photosynthesis.

A hypocotyl is the primary organ of extension of a young plant and it will eventually develop into the stem. It supports the cotyledons.

Although the seeds in a pack of Eu-Sol Tomato Seeds all share the same heritage it will quickly become apparent that they are very different. Each seed will have cotyledons which are either green or golden and a hypocotyl which is either purple or light green. It will also become apparent that the different possible combinations...

green cotyledons / purple hypocotyl

green cotyledons / light green hypocotyl

golden cotyledons / purple hypocotyl

golden cotyledons / light green hypocotyl

...occur in different numbers. Some combinations are very common, some less so.

This is because the genes that effect the colors of the cotyledons and hypocotyls are governed by dominant and recessive inheritance.

Hypocotyl

Let's say the color of the hypocotyl is governed by the letter 'h'.

H = purple hypocotyl (a dominant trait)

h = light green (i.e. not purple) hypocotyl (a recessive trait)

Cotyledons

Let's say the color of the cotyledons is govenered by the letter 'G'.

G = green cotyledons (a dominant trait)

g = golden cotyledons (a recessive trait)

Eu-Sol Tomato Seeds are all the offspring of plants with the following genetics.

GgHh x GgHh

Looking at just one trait...

... we get the following ratios...

Looking at both traits...

...we get the following ratios...

So Eu-Sol Tomato Seeds can be used to show both monohybrid (one trait) and dihybrid (two traits) inheritance.

To order seeds, please click here.

The EU-SOL project is supported by the European Commission through the 6th framework programme.

Contract Number : FOOD-CT-2006-016214.