Final answer:
The result of the cross between two heterozygous tall pea plants is a genotypic ratio of 1:2:1 (1 TT : 2 Tt : 1 tt) and a phenotypic ratio of 3:1 (3 tall : 1 short), utilizing a Punnett square to illustrate Mendelian inheritance patterns.
Step-by-step explanation:
The result of a cross between two heterozygous plants, where tall (T) is dominant to short (t), using a Punnett square, would yield a genotypic ratio of 1 TT : 2 Tt : 1 tt. This reflects one tall homozygous dominant plant (TT), two tall heterozygous plants (Tt), and one short homozygous recessive plant (tt). The phenotypic ratio of the offspring would be 3 tall plants to 1 short plant.
To perform this prediction, we align the alleles of one parent across the top of the Punnett square and the alleles of the other parent along the side. Each cell within the square represents the possible genotype of an offspring. Since both parents are heterozygous (Tt), there are four potential combinations: TT, Tt, Tt, and tt. These combinations would produce plants with tall and short phenotypes according to the dominant and recessive relationships of the alleles. The tall phenotype will manifest in both TT and Tt genotypes, whereas the short phenotype will only appear in the tt genotype.