GENETICS – PART I

Louise O’Hora teaches Agricultural Science, and Agriculture and Horticulture in St. Louis Community School, Kiltimagh, Co. Mayo. A graduate of NUIG, Louise holds a BSc (Hons) and a HDip in Education. With over 15 years teaching experience, Louise has an excellent insight into the subject of Ag Science through both knowledge and practice and understands the academic needs of pupils studying the subject. Both the content and design of Ag Focus aims to meet those needs, and the weekly column is a welcome aid for every student studying Agricultural Science. A guaranteed question every year at both ordinary and higher level, this topic is best approached through practice. The question usually comprises a combination of definitions, genetic crosses and applied genetics in the agricultural world, with the 2016 Higher Level question being no exception. While the genetics question is no doubt challenging, particularly at higher level in recent years, repetition within the question should be taken advantage of and learning the definitions word for word, practising the genetic crosses from all the past papers and familiarising oneself with genetic applications in the outside world, will definitely pay off.

This edition of AG Focus concentrates on ‘traditional genetics’ - the processes of cell division, Mendel’s Laws and the various types of genetic crosses which appear on the exam paper. Next week, we will concentrate on genetics in the agricultural world, including animal breeding and applied genetics. References in recent years in the genetics question to the EBI (2016), sexed semen (2015), genetic modification and cloning (2014), and the index of calving difficulty (2011) only serves to emphasise the need for students to realise that genetic applications are on their doorstep and embracing every opportunity that new and future applications have to offer.