Sexing in plants and animals refers to methodological procedures used to determine the phenotypic or genotypic sex of individuals for research, breeding, or management purposes. Approaches range from morphological assessment of sexual dimorphism (e.g., genitalia, secondary sexual characteristics, flower morphology) to cytogenetic and molecular techniques that detect sex chromosomes or sex-linked markers, such as PCR-based assays, karyotyping, or quantitative PCR of sex-specific genes. In early developmental stages or sexually monomorphic species, sexing often relies on invasive or noninvasive sampling (blood, tissue, feathers, leaf tissue) followed by DNA-based tests, which provide high accuracy and are widely used in conservation, livestock production, aquaculture, and plant breeding programs.
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