Question

Differentiate between test cross and reciprocal cross.

Answer 1

Aspect	Test Cross	Reciprocal Cross
Definition	When an F₁ individual is crossed with a recessive parent, it is known as a test cross.	In reciprocal cross, the same parents are used in two different experiments; in one, parent A is female and B male, and in the other, A is male and B is female.
Purpose	To determine the genotype of an individual showing a dominant phenotype by crossing with a homozygous recessive.	To observe the effect of sex or cytoplasmic inheritance by reversing the sexes of the parents in the crosses.
Parent Cross Setup	Cross between F1 heterozygous and homozygous recessive parent.	Two crosses between the same parents with the sexes reversed in the second cross.