Ralph L. Obendorf
Seed Biology

617 Bradfield (607) 255-1709 E-mail: rlo1@cornell.edu http://www.css.cornell.edu/faculty/rlo1/obendorf.html B.S. 1960 (Purdue University) M.S. 1962 (University of California at Davis) Ph.D. 1966 (University of California at Davis) Ralph L. Obendorf, professor of crop physiology since 1978, joined the faculty as assistant professor in 1966 and was associate professor 1971-1978. His Ph.D. was in Plant Physiology with a concentration in Biochemistry. He was a visiting scientist at the Institute for Cancer Research, Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia in 1972-73, at the University of California at Davis in 1983, and at the University of Vienna in 1997. Dr. Obendorf is a Fellow of the ASA and CSSA and has received the 2000 Harry A. MacDonald Award for Excellence in Agronomy from the Dept. of Crop and Soil Sciences at Cornell University, the 2000 Seed Science Award of the Crop Sciences Society of America, the 1989 teaching award of the Northeast Branch of the American Society of Agronomy, an IBM Corporation Advanced Education Project Award in 1988, and medals from Poznan Agriculture University and the Polish Ministry of Agriculture in 1987. He is a member of Graduate Fields of Plant Biology and SCAS, Plant Science Honors Program (chair), Journal of New Seeds and Fagopyrum editorial boards, International Society for Seed Science (president-elect), American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Association of Cereal Chemists, American Chemical Society, American Institute of Biological Sciences, American Society of Agronomy (fellow), American Society of Plant Physiologists, Crop Science Society of America (fellow), New York Academy of Sciences, Botanical Society of America, Society for In Vitro Biology, and International Buckwheat Research Association.

Research Program Dr. Obendorf's seed biology research concentrates on factors and mechanisms which regulate seed growth, seed maturation, and subsequent germination events using both in planta and in vitro culture technologies for seeds, zygotic embryos, and somatic embryos. Research topics include respiration, mitochondria, RNA, enzymes, growth regulators, vivipary, osmotic and water potentials of seed tissues, physical/environmental stress, activity and/or gene expression of stachyose synthase, galactopinitol synthase, fagopyritol synthase, L-myo-inositol-1-P synthase and L-myo-inositol-6-O-methyl transferase of developing seeds, molecular structures of galactosyl cyclitols by NMR, cell wall chemistry during seed development and maturation, nutriceuticals and pharmaceuticals in seeds. Courses Taught CSS 311 Grain Crops CSS 612 Seed Physiology and Biotechnology CSS 499 Undergraduate Research BioG 499 Undergraduate Research Food 447 International Postharvest Food Systems (stored grain mycology and grain grading ) BioPL 840 Current Topics in Plant Physiology BioPl 742 Topics in Plant Molecular Biology

Selected Publications Steadman, K.J., Burgoon, M.S., Schuster, R.L., Lewis, B.A., Edwardson, S.E. and Obendorf, R.L. (2000) Fagopyritols, D-chiro-inositol, and other soluble carbohydrates in buckwheat seed milling fractions. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 48, 2843-2847. Obendorf, R.L., Steadman, K.J., Fuller, D.J., Horbowicz, M. and Lewis, B.A. (2000) Molecular structure of fagopyritol A1 (O-alpha-D-galactopyranosyl-(1-3)-D-chiro-inositol) by NMR. Carbohydrate Research 328 (4), 623-627. Koch, J.L., Horbowicz, M. and Obendorf, R.L. 1999. Methanol, pectin and pectin esterase changes during soybean seed maturation. Seed Science Research 9:311-320. Szczecinski, P., Gryff-Keller, A., Horbowicz, M. and Obendorf, R.L. (1998) NMR investigation of the structure of fagopyritol B1 from buckwheat seeds. Bulletin of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Chemistry 46:9-13. Obendorf, R.L., Dickerman, A.M., Pflum, T.M., Kacalanos, M.A. and Smith, M.E. 1998. Drying rate alters soluble carbohydrates, desiccation tolerance, and seedling growth of soybean zygotic embryos during in vitro maturation. Plant Science 132:1-12. Obendorf, R.L., Horbowicz, M., Dickerman, A.M., Brenac, P. and Smith, M.E. 1998. Soluble oligosaccharides and galactosyl cyclitols in maturing soybean seeds in planta and in vitro. Crop Science 38:78-84. Markovic, O. and Obendorf, R.L. 1998. Soybean seed pectinesterase. Seed Science Research 8:455-461. Horbowicz, M., Brenac, P. and Obendorf, R.L. 1998. Fagopyritol B1, O-alpha-D-galactopyranosyl-(1- 2)-D-chiro-inositol, a galactosyl cyclitol in maturing buckwheat seeds associated with desiccation tolerance. Planta 205:1-11. Obendorf, R.L. 1997. Oligosaccharides and galactosyl cyclitols in seed desiccation tolerance (Review Update). Seed Science Research 7:63-74. Brenac, P., Smith, M.E. and Obendorf, R.L. 1997. Raffinose accumulation in maize embryos in the absence of a fully functional Vp1 gene product. Planta 203:222-228. Brenac, P., Horbowicz, M., Downer, S.M., Dickerman, A.M., Smith, M.E. and Obendorf, R.L. 1997. Raffinose accumulation related to desiccation tolerance during maize (Zea mays L.) seed development and maturation. Journal of Plant Physiology 150:481-488.