(i) He conducted experiments on garden pea plant (Pisum sativum) for seven years (1856-1863) and proposed the laws of inheritance in living organisms.
(ii) He selected the garden pea plant as a sample for the experiment because of:
- (a) Easy availability on a large scale.
- (b) Many varieties are available with distinct characteristics.
- (c) They are self-pollinated and can be cross-pollinated easily in case self-pollination does not occur.
(iii) Mendel selected 14 true-breeding (a breeding line that has undergone continuous self-pollination shows stable trait inheritance and expression for several generations) pea plant varieties, as pairs, which were similar except for one character with contrasting traits.