Preparation of a Growth-Promoting Substance, Lepidimoic Acid, from Okra Pectic Polysaccharide.

Abstract Lepidimoic acid, a 1,2- cis -linked disaccharide, is an interesting plant growth-promoting substance and has been synthesized from d -glucose and l -rhamnose by Kosemura et al., 1993. Fry et al., 1993, in view of the biosynthetic origin, suggested that it could be produced by the cleavage of a pectic polysaccharide such as rhamnogalacturonan. In this study lepidimoic acid was prepared from okra ( Hibiscus esculentus L.) pectic polysaccharide in a passable yield by sequential decomposition reactions. The plant growth-promoting activity of the prepared lepidimoic acid was confirmed.