Pectins monocotyledonous plants

Pectin makes up about one-third of the cell wall dry matter of dicotyledoneous and some monocotyledoneous plants (Jarvis et. al., 1988). Much smaller proportions of these substances are found in the cell walls of grasses (Wada and Ray, 1978). Pectin contributes both to adhesion between the cells and to the mechanical strength of the cell wall, behaving in the manner of stabilized gels (Jarvis, 1984). Physical changes in the plant tissue, such as softening, are frequently accompanied by changes in the properties of the pectic substances. 

Leaf fibres are usually obtained from the leaves or leaf stalks of monocotyledonous plants. Leaf fibres are often known as hard fibres because they are less flexible and coarser than bast fibre. Sisal, abaca and henequen are most important fibres of this group. These are part of the plant s transportation system the cells are small and are bound together by pectins. They cannot be isolated by retting but are extracted by scraping pulp from the fibres by a knife, either manually or mechanically, in a technical process called decortication. 

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