What is the difference between genotype and phenotype in plants and give examples?

Genotype refers to the genetic makeup of an organism, including all the genes and alleles it possesses. Phenotype, on the other hand, refers to the physical characteristics and traits that are expressed as a result of the interaction between the genotype and the environment.

In plants, genotype determines the potential traits that a plant can exhibit, while the phenotype is the actual physical manifestation of those traits. For example, a plant may have a genotype that codes for red flower color, but if the plant is grown in an environment with insufficient sunlight, the phenotype may be a lighter shade of red or even pink.

Another example is in the case of pea plants with the genotype for tall height (TT) and short height (tt). If a pea plant has the genotype TT, it will have a tall phenotype, while a pea plant with the genotype tt will have a short phenotype.

Overall, genotype refers to the genetic information that an organism carries, while phenotype refers to the observable physical characteristics that result from the interaction between the genotype and the environment.