Explain the importance of Mendel's inclusion of reciprocal crosses within his controlled breeding program of pea plants.

Reciprocal cross may be defined as the cross done by reversing the parent genotype. The reciprocal cross was performed by Mendel's during the pea plant experiment.

Mendel's reciprocal cross is important as it determines the contribution of the male or female in the particular trait. He reversed the male and female trait, cross them, whether the male or female is responsible for the transmission of the trait. He found that the progeny of the reciprocal cross are similar as the normal cross. Thus, he concluded that both the parents contribute equally in the transmission of trait.