In this article, traits governed by many genes, known as quantitative traits, will be discussed. Each gene contributes a small amount to the phenotype such that individual effects cannot be put into distinct phenotypes. The traits are said to be continuous. Genes of this nature are called polygenes.
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The major differences between qualitative and quantitative traits are summarized below:
| Qualitative | Quantitative |
|---|---|
| Discontinuous Variation | Continuous Variation |
| e.g. Flower colour. | e.g. Body-weight, grain-yield. |
| Governed by single or few genes. | Governed by many genes. |
| Concerned with individual matings and possible kinds of matings. | Concerned with a population with all their progenies. |
| Not affected by environment. For example, for Cowpea flower, if it is purple colour, grow the seed of that cowpea anywhere, the flower colour will be purple. | Affected by environment. For example, seed yield. |
| Analysed by making counts and ratios. | Analysed with sophisticated experimental techniques using estimates of population parameters such as mean and standard deviation, etc. |
Qualitative traits are governed by single or few genes while quantitative traits are governed by many genes.
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