In cucumbers, a black spine color on the fruit is dominant to white spines and orange mature fruit color is dominant to cream mature fruit color. Both are monogenic traits. In the F2 population resulting from the intercross between a black spined, orange fruited true breeding plant and a white spined cream fruited plant, the following progeny were observed:
Black spines, orange fruit: 623 plants
White spines, cream fruit: 196 plants

A. What phenotypic ratio would you expect in the F2 if these two traits underwent independent assortment?
B. Explain the observed results?