Rong-Cai Yang,
PhD (
ARD Professor of Statistical Genomics
Department
of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science
Tel:
(780) 492-3728 or (780) 415-2716
Fax:
(780) 248-1900
Email:
Rong-Cai.Yang@ualberta.ca
Primary Research Area:
Statistical Genomics and Quantitative Genetics
Research Interests:
Research focus is on the
development of new theories and analytical methods for studying genetic and
breeding data from crop plants and farmed animals and for designing experiments
to increase the efficiency of gene discovery and mapping. I am currently very
active in the following two lines of research. First, a new likelihood-based
method has been developed to characterize and test for different causes of
genotype-environment interactions observed in a typical plant breeding or
agronomic study. Second, new multilocus statistics
have been developed to describe linkage disequilibrium and other genic disequilibria in non-equilibrium populations such as
hybrid populations. The study of these multilocus
statistics have important applications to the development of
disequilibrium-based gene mapping methods that will be of great value to
mapping genes controlling complex traits in farmed animals and human.
Refereed
Journal Publications:
2009
Yang, R.-C. 2009. When Is Early
Generation Selection Effective in Self-Pollinated Crops? Crop Science (in press, Nov/Dec issue).
Yang, R.-C., J. Crossa, P. L. Cornelius, and J. Burgueño. 2009. Biplot analysis of genotype × environment interaction: Proceed with caution. Crop Science 49:1564-1576.
Yang, R.-C., and J. M. Álvarez-Castro. 2009. Functional and statistical genetic effects with multiple alleles. Current Topics in Genetics (in press).
McPherson, M.A., R.-C. Yang,
A. G. Good, R. L. Nielson and L. M. Hall.
2009. Potential for seed-mediated gene flow in agroecosystems
from transgenic safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) intended for plant molecular farming. Transgenic
Research 18(2):281-299.
McPherson, M.A., A. G. Good, A. K. C. Topinka, R.-C. Yang, R. H. McKenzie, R. J. Cathcart, J. A. Christianson, C. Strobeck
and L. M. Hall. 2009. Pollen-mediated gene
flow from transgenic safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) intended for plant molecular farming
to conventional safflower. Environ. Biosafety Res. 8: 19–32.
Nielson, R.L., M. A. McPherson, J T. O’Donovan, K. N. Harker, R.-C. Yang and L. M. Hall.
2009. Seed Mediated Gene Flow in
Wheat: Seed Bank Longevity in
Rahman, M.H., K.C. Falk and R.-C. Yang. 2009. Inheritance of Susceptibility to Ethametsulfuron Herbicide “Muster ®” in summer turnip rape (Brassica rapa L.). Crop Science 49:819-824.
Reid, T.A, R-C. Yang, D. F. Salmon
and D. Spaner. 2009. Should
spring wheat breeding for organically managed systems be conducted on
organically managed land? Euphytica (DOI
10.1007/s10681-009-9949-9)
2008
Yang, R.-C. 2008. Why is
MIXED analysis underutilized? Canadian Journal of Plant Science 88: 563-567.
Yang, R.-C. 2008. Effects of linkage and epistasis on inter-generation correlations in self-pollinated species. Crop Science 48:2074-2085.
Burgueño,
J., J. Crossa, P.L. Cornelius and R.-C. Yang.
2008. Using factor analytic models for joining environments and
genotypes without crossover genotype x environment interaction. Crop
Science 48:1291–1305.
Broatch, J.S.,
L.M. Dosdall, R.-C. Yang,
K. N. Harker, and G.W. Clayton. 2008. Emergence and seasonal activity of
the entomophagous rove beetle Aleochara
bilineata (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) in
canola in western
2007
Yang, R.-C. 2007. Mixed-model analysis of crossover
genotype-environment interactions. Crop Science 47: 1051-1062.
Yang, R.-C. and F.C. Yeh. 2007. Differential growth and rooting
of upland and peatland black spruce, Picea mariana, in
drained and flooded soils. Silvae Genetica
56:73-80.
Yang, R.-C., F.C. Yeh and
T.Z. Ye. 2007. Multilocus Structure in Pinus contorta - Pinus banksiana Complex. Canadian Journal of Botany 85:774-784.
Rweyongeza,
D. M., R.-C. Yang, N. K. Dhir, L. K. Barnhardt, and C. Hansen. 2007. Genetic variation and climatic impacts on survival and growth of white
spruce in
Rweyongeza, D.M., N. K.
Dhir, L. K. Barnhardt, C. Hansen and R.-C. Yang.
2007. Population differentiation of the lodgepole
pine (Pinus contorta) and
jack pine (P. banksiana)
complex in
Iqbal, M., A. Navabi,
R.-C. Yang,
D.F. Salmon, and D. Spaner.
2007. Molecular characterization of vernalization
response genes in Canadian spring wheat. Genome 50:511-516.
Iqbal, M., A. Navabi, D.F.
Salmon, R.-C. Yang, B.M. Murdoch, S.S. Moore, and D. Spaner. 2007. Genetic analysis of flowering
and maturity time in high latitude spring wheat. Euphytica
154:207-218.
Iqbal, M., A. Navabi,
R.-C. Yang,
D.F. Salmon, and D. Spaner.
2007. The Effect of Vernalization Genes on
Earliness and Related Agronomic Traits of Spring Wheat in Northern Growing
regions. Crop Science 47: 1031-1039.
Iqbal, M., A. Navabi, D.F.
Salmon, R.-C. Yang, and D. Spaner.
2007. Simultaneous selection for early maturity, increased grain yield
and elevated grain protein content in spring wheat. Plant Breeding 126:244-250.
2006
Yang, R.-C., D. Stanton, S. F. Blade, J. Helm, D. Spaner, S. Wright and D. Domitruk. 2006. Isoyield Analysis of Barley Cultivar Trials in the Canadian Prairies. Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science 192: 284-294.
Yang, R.-C., M. R. Thiagarajah, V. K. Bansal, G. R. Stringam and M. H. Rahman. 2006. Detecting and estimating segregation distortion and linkage between glufosinate tolerance and blackleg resistance in Brassica napus L. Euphytica 148: 217-225.
Navabi, A., R.-C. Yang, J. Helm and D. M.
Spaner. 2006. Can spring wheat-growing
mega-environment in the northern
Cathcart, R.J., A.K. Topinka, P. Kharbanda, R. Lange, R.-C. Yang and L.M. Hall. 2006. Rotation length and canola variety and herbicide resistance system affect weed populations and yield. Weed Science 54: 726-734.
Broatch, J.S., L.M. Dosdall, G.W. Clayton, K.N. Harker and R.-C. Yang. 2006. Using Degree-day and Logistic Models to Predict Emergence Patterns and Seasonal Flights of the Cabbage Maggot and Seed Corn Maggot (Diptera: Anthomyiidae) in Canola. Environmental Entomology 35:1166-1177.
Iqbal, M., A. Navabi, D. F. Salmon, R.-C. Yang, and D. Spaner. 2006. A genetic examination of early flowering and maturity in Canadian spring wheat. Canadian Journal of Plant Science 86: 995-1004.
2005
Yang, R.-C., S. F. Blade, J. Crossa, D.
Wang, Z., L. A. Goonewardene, R.-C. Yang, M. A. Price, M. Makarechian, J. Knapp, E. K. Okine and R. T. Berg. 2005. Estimation of Genetic Parameters and Trends in Pre-Weaning Traits of Beef Lines Subject to Phenotypic Selection. Journal of Animal and Veterinary Advances 4: 202-209.
2004
Yang, R.-C. 2004. Epistasis of quantitative trait loci under different gene action models. Genetics 167: 1493-1505.
Yang, R.-C. 2004. Likelihood-based approach to estimating and testing for isolation by distance. Evolution 58:1839–1845.
Yang, R.-C., T. Z. Ye, S. F. Blade, and M. Bandara. 2004. Efficiency of spatial analyses of field pea variety trials. Crop Science 44: 49-55.
Crossa, J., R.-C. Yang and P.L. Cornelius. 2004. Studying crossover genotype × environment interaction using linear-bilinear models and mixed models. Journal of Agricultural, Biological and Environmental Statistics 9: 362-380.
2003
Goonewardene, L.A., R.K. Hand, Z. Wang, L. Al-Ani, R. Carlyon, E.K. Okine and R.-C.Yang. 2004. A Study on the Occurrence of Sand Cracks in Commercial Beef Cattle. Journal of Animal and Veterinary Advances 3: 872-880.
Yang, R.-C. 2003. Gametic and zygotic associations. Genetics 165:447-450.
Ye, T.Z., R.-C. Yang and F.C. Yeh.
2003. Coevolution in natural pathosystems:
effects of dominance on host-pathogen
interactions. Phytopathology 93:633-639.
Goonewardene,
2002
Yang, R.-C. 2002. Likelihood-based analysis of genotype-environment interactions. Crop Science 42: 1434-1440.
Yang, R.-C. 2002. Analysis of multilocus
zygotic associations. Genetics 161:435-445.
Ye, T.Z., R.-C. Yang and F.C. Yeh. 2002. Population structure of a lodgepole (Pinus contorta) and jack pine (P. banksiana) complex as revealed by random amplified polymorphic DNA. Genome 45: 530-540.
Dosdall, L.M., R.-C. Yang and P.M. Conway. 2002. Do applications of sulfur or sulfate to canola influence infestations of root maggots (Delia spp.) (Diptera: Anthomyiidae)? Canadian Journal of Plant Science 82: 599-610.
2001 and earlier
Olson, M.A., R.-C. Yang and S.F. Blade.
2001. Nutrient concentrations and nutritive values of field pea (Pisum sativum L.)
straw in south central
Yang, R.-C. 2000. Zygotic associations and multilocus statistics in a nonequilibrium diploid population. Genetics 155: 1449-1458.
Tarocco C, F. De
Rensis, R.N.
Yang, R.-C., Z. Ye and Y. Hiratsuka. 1999. Susceptibility of Pinus contorta - banksiana
complex to
Endocronarium harknessii:
Host-pathogen interactions.
Wang, Z., R.-C. Yang,
Yang, R.-C. 1998. Estimating hierarchical F-statistics. Evolution 52:950-956.
Yang, R.-C., N.K. Dhir and F.C. Yeh. 1998. Intraclass correlation of polychotomous responses of lodgepole pine to infection of western gall rust: A simulation study. Silv. Genet. 47:108-115.
Yang, R.-C., N.K. Dhir and L.K. Barnhardt. 1998. Comparative
assessment of genetic variation of young high elevation lodgepole
pine for height and western gall rust resistance across two sites in
Yang, R.-C., N.K. Dhir, F.C. Yeh and Y. Hiratsuka. 1997. Geographic variability in
susceptibility
of
Yang, R.-C., F.C. Yeh and A.D. Yanchuk. 1996. A comparison of isozyme and quantitative genetic variation in Pinus contorta spp. latifolia by FST. Genetics 142:1045-1052.
Yang, R.-C., and F.C. Yeh. 1995. Patterns of gene flow and geographic
structure in Pinus contorta.
Yeh, F.C., D.K.X. Chong and R.-C. Yang. 1995. RAPD variation within and among natural populations of trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.). J. Heredity 86: 454-460.
Chong, D.K.X., R.-C. Yang, and F.C. Yeh. 1994. Nucleotide divergence between populations of trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides) estimated with RAPDs. Current Genetics 26:374-376.
multilocus associations in Cunninghamia lanceolata (Lamb.) Hook.
from People's Republic of
Yang, R.-C., and F.C. Yeh. 1993. Multilocus structure in Pinus contorta Dougl. Theor. Appl. Genet. 87:568-576.
Shi, J., Z. Ye,
F.C. Yeh, R.-C. Yang and J. Hong. 1993. Genetic diversity and multilocus structure in Chinese fir. J. Nanjing For. Univ. 17:9-15.
Ye, Z., J. Shi, R.-C. Yang and F.C. Yeh. 1993. AMMI adjustment for analysis of genotype-environment interaction for Chinese fir. J. Nanjing For. Univ. 17:15-21.
Yang, R.-C., and F.C. Yeh. 1992. Genetic consequences of in situ and ex situ conservation of forest trees. For. Chron. 68:720-729.
Yang, R.-C., S. Jana, and J.M. Clarke. 1991. Phenotypic diversity and associations of some potentially drought-responsive characters in durum wheat. Crop Sci. 31:1484-1491.
Yang, R.-C., and R.J. Baker. 1991 Genotype-environment interactions in two wheat crosses. Crop Sci. 31:83-87.
Yang, R.-C., and R.J. Baker. 1990. Effects of epistasis on tests for linkage in self-pollinated species. Theor. Appl. Genet. 79:219-224.
Yang, R.-C., and G.R. Hughes. 1986. Pathogenic variation
among isolates of Septoria nodorum.
SAS programs:
