The phenomenon of linkage was first observed by

Answer: Option A

The phenomenon of linkage was first observed by Bateson and Punnet in sweet pea in 1906.
Linkage is the tendency for genes or segments of DNA closely positioned along a chromosome to segregate together at meiosis, and therefore be inherited together.
The linkage between two or more loci controlling different desirable characteristics is advantageous for a plant breeder. A linkage between genes controlling two different desirable characters will help in the simultaneous improvement of both characters.