Discussion:

A dihybrid inheritance is the inheritance of two genes at the same time. Mendel’s
second law also known as the Law of Independent Assortment states that each
member of a pair of homologous chromosomes segregates during meiosis
independently of the members of other pairs, so that alleles carried on different
chromosomes are distributed randomly to the gametes. A dihybrid test cross is a
cross between a F1 hybrid which is heterozygous for alleles of two different genes
and a homozygous recessive organism in order to determine the genotype of that
organism showing one or more dominant characteristics.

A chi-squared test is a statistical test which allows the comparison of the observed
results with the expected results in order to decide whether or not there is a
significant difference between them. The test is used to determine the probability
of the null hypothesis being true. A null hypothesis is stated; the observed results
are not significantly different from the expected results as well as an alternate
hypothesis; the observed results are significantly different from the expected
results. The test gives the chi-squared value which is found by the sum of each
squared difference divided by its expected value. If this value is less than or equal
to the 0.05, then the null hypothesis is accepted and deemed valid and true.
However, if it is more than 0.05, then the null hypothesis is rejected and the
alternate hypothesis is deemed true.
A table which relates chi-square values to probabilities is used to determine
whether or not the null hypothesis is correct. Science uses the probability of 0.05
as the critical value since 0.05 is the standard level of significance established by
Sir R. A. Fisher. He proposed that if the value for which P=0.05, or 1 in 20, is 1.96
or nearly 2, then it is convenient to take this point as a limit in judging whether a
deviation ought to be considered significant or not. Deviations exceeding twice the
standard deviation are regarded as significant. Small effects will still escape notice
if the data are insufficiently numerous to bring them out, but no lowering of the
standard of significance would meet this difficulty.

The experiment done represented a dihybrid cross. A dyhibrid cross yields 4

classes which has the phenotypic ratio is 9:3:3:1. In this experiment, the four
possible phenotypes were Dominant H Dominant B, Dominant H Recessive b,
Recessive h Dominant B and Recessive h Recessive b. Using the ratio 9:3:3:1, the
expected results for each possible phenotype were 56.25, 18.75, 18.75 and 6.25 in
that order. However, the observed results for each of the four possible phenotypes;
Dominant H Dominant B, Dominant H Recessive b, Recessive h Dominant B and
Recessive h Recessive b were 57, 20, 20 and 3 respectively. Using the formula 𝑥 2
(𝑂−𝐸)2
=∑ the chi-square value was calculated to be 1.86. This value was then
𝐸

compared to the critical value 7.82 obtained from the probability table showing 𝑥 2
values at probability of 0.05. Since the chi-square calculated value, 1.86, was less
than the critical probability value, 7.82, the null hypothesis was accepted and it
was concluded that there is no significant difference between the observed and the
expected results.