Alert System in Oil Palm Tissue Culture Laboratory via SMS and Email

Noor Hafizah Abdul Aziz 1, Suzi Seroja Sarnin 1, Norhaslin Nordin1 and Ahmad Tarmizi Hashim2 1 Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Shah Alam, Malaysia

2 Advanced Biotechnology and Breeding Centre, Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) Kajang, Malaysia

Abstract. Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) is currently undertaking the latest technology on the founding of a tissue culture laboratory for production of high yield clone oil palm through tissue culture process. Research has shown that factors such as temperature and humidity are critical parameter in producing quality colonial materials. Consequently, SHT11 sensor had been utilized to monitor and record the critical parameter data in tissue culture laboratory. SHT11 will be linked to the database and analysis software for storing and analyzing the monitored data. The sensor is low cost because it used low power consumption and fabricated to suit the biological laboratory environment. The system could monitor via a wireless system and automatically display the data and graph. This system also linkage to alert system, which SMS and email will be sent to user who an authorized person for awareness purpose. SMS is developed by using SMS Gateway and email is developed by using mail server. If the usual range of temperature and humidity is exceeded, the person will be triggered via SMS and email. An implementation of the system has been carried out by using open source softwares such as Mail Server, Apache, MySQL and PHP. The outcome clearly showed the capability and the potential of the alert system to improve the efficiency and quality of oil palm tissue culture growth.

Keywords: MPOB, SHT11, SMS Gateway, Mail Server.

1. Introduction Malaysian Palm Oil Board is producing clonal planting materials by using tissue culture system. The

tissue culture laboratory provides the oil palm industry with innovations for the production of improved planting materials and information on the molecular biology of tissue culture processes. Plant tissue culture relies on the fact that many plant cells have the ability to regenerate a whole plant. Single cells, plant cells without cell walls, pieces of leaves, or roots can often be used to generate a new plant on culture media given the required nutrients and plant hormones [1]. Oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) is one of the most important oil bearing crops in the world. However, genetic improvement through conventional breeding is extremely slow and costly, as the breeding cycle can take up to 10 years [2].

Research has shown that factors such as temperature and humidity are critical in producing quality clonal materials using tissue culture process. Under physical condition, factors such as temperature and humidity should be set at certain standard for development of good cultures [3]. However the monitoring system to detect changes of parameters is not too efficient which the recording is done manually and this reduces the efficiency and reliability of the process [4]. Subsequently, the real time data on factors that affect the growth will be analyzed and controlled where the data results and graphs will be display and automatically stored in database access. This system commonly has been practiced on monitoring and controlling conditions such as room temperature [5]. An alert system is linked to the monitoring system for the user’s notification through SMS and email if the temperature or humidity within the growth room or the vessel is out of the normal

1 + Corresponding author. Tel.: + 6013-629 1771; fax: +603-55435077. E-mail address: noor4083@salam.uitm.edu.my.

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range. User will receive an instant notification about the parameter data and the current reading, hence the authorized person can monitor the room and the vessel conditions for further action.

2. Theoretical Background

2.1. Tissue Culture Tissue culture is the propagation of plants through the placement of small amounts of undifferentiated

tissue or single cells in an artificial environment. The tissue is placed in a nutrient medium that favours the production of roots and shoots, and is later planted normally. By using tissue culture, the favourable qualities of plants can be precisely controlled, so that each plant is identical for the particular quality. The progress in the development of the technologies of plant tissue and cell culture over the past decades has been remarkable. Tissue culture is the most fundamental technique in any plant cell biologist's toolbox [6]. Basically the technique consists of taking a piece of a plant such as a stem tip, node, embryo, or even a seed and placing it in a sterile, (usually gel-based) nutrient medium where it multiplies. Plant tissue culture comprises a set of in vitro techniques, methods and strategies that are part of the group of technologies called plant biotechnology. Tissue culture has been exploited to create genetic variability from which crop plants can be improved, to improve the state of health of the planted material and to increase the number of desirable germplasms available to the plant breeder [7]. This technology can be expected to have an ever increasing impact on crop improvement as an approach to the new millennium.

2.2. Alert System Alert system is originally based on telemetry system. Telemetry is a highly automated communications

technique with the help of which measurements and data collection are done at remote locations and transmitted for monitoring [8]. The most important uses of telemetry include weather data collection, monitoring power generation plants and keeping track of space flights. A telemetry system typically consists of a transducer as an input device, a transmission medium in the form of wired lines or radio waves, signal processing devices, and devices for recording or displaying data. The transducer converts a physical quantity into a corresponding electrical signal, which is then transmitted over a distance for the purpose of measurement and recording. There is normally a sound or vibration that will indicate that the message has come in. The receiver may be able to see the sender’s telephone number, name and also date and time [9].

2.3. SMS in GSM Networking SMS is a method by which messages can be sent to a cell phone via another cell phone, a computer

connected to the Internet or a regular land line [10]. SMS is a communication service component of the GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) system, using standardized communications protocols that allow the exchange of short text messages between mobile phone devices.

2.4. Email Email systems are based on a store and forward model in which email server computer systems accept,

forward, deliver and store messages on behalf of users, who only need to connect to the email infrastructure, typically an email server, with a network-enabled device for the duration of message submission or retrieval [11]. Email messages are posted electronically to individuals at specific. The address denotes the computer that the individual employs as a mail server. A mail server is like a computer that sends and receives electronic mail for a specific network.

3. Methodology Besides expanding the range of applications in wireless technology, this development also focusing on

alert system that provide a new application of SMS in order to quickly provide urgent information to the user. A mobile phone used to connect with the computer and act as GSM modems to replace a common modem that requires a higher cost. Fig. 1 shows the process involved in monitoring the oil palm tissue culture which is begin with hardware development to collect the data, data monitoring and acquisition and finally, an alert system. In addition to the SMS service, the user also will receive an email notification about the parameter data that can be kept as the track record.

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Fig. 1: Process Involved in Alert System of Oil Palm Tissue Culture Laboratory.

This alert system is connected with database that contains data of temperature and humidity in the tissue culture vessel or in growth room. It begins with comparison of the current data and the parameters range. In condition of current data is within normal range, the alert system will be in idle stage. Nevertheless, if the current data is beyond the parameters range, the alert system will be activated where notification will be send to user’s mobile phone via SMS and email to user’s email address.

The intention of this implementation alert system into the technology of oil palm tissue culture is to provide efficient monitoring methods. The combination between Apache, PHP and MySQL is the most important tools to develop the alert system. Apache is used as a web server that is connected with MySQL database and PHP scripting language.

SMS alert system is developed by using SMS Gateway software called NowSMS. NowSMS is a scalable solution that is affordable for development and testing, with scalability to support mobile operator systems. The configurations for email and SMS are including the recipient’s address, sender’s address, present date and time, parameters range and also current value of temperature and humidity that triggered the alert system. Fig. 2 shows a diagram on how SMS and emails are sent from PHP scripting command through the MySQL database manager.

Fig. 2: Sending SMS and Email from PHP Command through a MySQL Database.

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4. Results and Discussion One of the most popular gateways is NowSMS since it can work very well with mobile phone that soon

will operate as a GSM modem where Sony Ericsson k800i had been preferred. Configuration process is important to make sure that SMS gateway can work well with the mobile phone.

Alert system will be activated only if the normal parameter range is exceeded. Normally, the temperature and humidity of tissue culture did not change rapidly. In many cases, the next reading will be more or less than previous reading. It is quite troublesome since monitoring process is done manually by using thermometer and hydrometer. The problem typically occurred during weekend or holidays since there is no one available to do the monitoring process. Worst case scenario is electrical supply failure when its blackout, the tissue culture will definitely contaminate be due to the inconsistency of temperature and humidity. Fig. 3 shows the data of temperature and humidity in tissue culture growth room at MPOB.

Fig. 3: Data Temperature and Humidity Stored in MySQL Database.

The suitable parameter for temperature is between 25°C to 30°C while for humidity is between 45% until 90%. If the parameter range is exceeded, alert system will notify the user by sending SMS and email notification. Fig. 4 shows the temperature and humidity graphs of tissue culture in growth room.

Fig. 4: Temperature and Humidity Graphs of Tissue Culture in Growth Room.

SMS and email notifications display shows in Fig. 5. The SMS information are including the subject, parameters range, date and time as well as the current value of parameters. The email notification shows the sender’s address, date and time, recipient’s address, subject, the parameters range as well as the current value of temperature and humidity that had been triggered by alert system.

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SMS Email Fig. 5: SMS and Email Notifications when Temperature or Humidity is Exceed the Parameters Range.

Based on the result obtained, wireless technology together with the application of alert system in oil palm tissue culture will make it possible to create a technology that is feasible and provides more secure access. In addition, monitoring process is more effective and high quality production is increased. Whilst the sensor detects any changes of parameter within the vessel in the growth room, the alert system will be triggered and notification will be sent to the user via SMS and email.

5. Conclusion Alert system is competent to notify the user via SMS enquiry and email if the parameters range is

exceeded. SMS alert and email notification are the backbone of alert system and each system have benefits. The main advantages of SMS are it is often less time-consuming to send a text message than to make a phone call, cheaper, non-intrusive and the most comfortable way to communicate. Although email typically contains text only, it also contains other features such as images or music. Additionally email is easy, quick, a reliable service, more effective without the cost and time constraint, can be stored in the inbox and can be kept as track record for future use. The combination of technologies will create a great impact on crop improvement of oil palm consequence of data collections.

6. References [1] Malaysian Palm Oil Board, Oil Palm Tissue Culture, Journal of Oil Palm Research Special Issue on Malaysia-MIT

Biotechnology Partnership Programme, Volume I, April 2008.

[2] Eng-Ti L Low, Halimah Alias, Soo-Heong Boon, Elyana M Shariff, Suan-Choo Cheah, Abdul-Rahim Raha, Kiew-Lian Wan and Rajinder Singh, Oil Palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) Tissue Culture ESTs: Identifying Genes Associated with Callogenesis and Embryogenesis, BMC Plant Biology Journal, Vol. 8:62, 2008.

[3] Edwin F. George, Plant Propagation by Tissue Culture, Part 1 The Technology (2nd Ed.), Exegetics Ltd., Edington, Wilts, England, 1993.

[4] Noor Hafizah Binti Abdul Aziz, Design and Development Monitoring and Tracking System of Temperature in Tissue Culture Laboratory, B. Eng. Thesis, Faculty of Engineering, UKM, Malaysia, 2004.

[5] Shi Li, Yu Youling and Xu Weisheng, Design of Remote Real-Time Temperature Monitoring System, The 8th International Conference on Electronic Measurement and Instruments, 2007.

[6] Kendall L. Knight, The Evolution of Tissue Culture, Nature Medicine, Vol. 14, pp. 708-710, 2008.

[7] Brown D.C.W. and Thorpe T.A., Crop Improvement Through Tissue Culture, World Journal of Microbiology & Biotechnology, Vol. 11, pp. 409-415, 1990.

[8] Mayo Wells, The Origins of Space Telemetry, Technology and Culture, 1963.

[9] Felicia Dye, What Is Telemetry Monitoring, 2003-2010. http://www.wisegeek.com.

[10] Ian Groves: Mobile Systems, page 70, 79, 163-166. Chapman & Hall, 1998.

[11] Hardy, Ian R; The Evolution of ARPANET Email; History Thesis; University of California, Berkeley, 1996-05-13.

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