Preliminary studies on basidiospore discharge in Termitomyces heimii using video frame analysis in a private garden in Mapusa, Goa, India

Basidiospore discharge in mushrooms is a two-stage dispersal problem: Buller-drop ballistospory clears spores from the hymenial surface over submillimetre to millimetre distances, after which gravity, convective flow, air movement and microclimate determine subsequent transport (Fischer et al., 2010; Money, 2023; Stolze-Rybczynski et al., 2009). Laboratory studies have clarified the biomechanics of launch using high-speed video (Yafetto et al., 2008), while field aerobiology has shown that rainfall, fruiting and local atmospheric conditions shape spore deposition (Castano et al., 2019; Halbwachs & Baessler, 2015; Saar & Salm, 2014). However, real-time field video monitoring of visible spore-rich bioaerosol episodes remains underdeveloped for tropical termitophilic mushrooms. We present a snapshot experimental framework for Termitomyces heimii in Goa, India, using simulated rainfall stimulation, short field video observation, right-side plume screenshots, Digital ColorsMap analysis and image texture metrics. Four analytical fields were used: a dark-background control and three bioaerosol test screenshots. ColorsMap analysis separated the control, which was Green-Cyan dominated (93.45%), from all test fields, which were Orange-Brown dominated (Test 1: 63.90%; Test 2: 59.26%; Test 3: 78.11%). Texture metrics also separated test fields from the control: entropy increased from 3.934 bits in the control to 5.325-5.551 bits in the tests, and mean gradient increased 2.69-3.39-fold. ROGI increased modestly from 0.1987 to 0.2161-0.2512. These measurements support the interpretation that right-side plume-associated fields contain greater optical heterogeneity and fine-scale texture than the dark control. They do not constitute direct spore counts. The study establishes a baseline workflow for field-based video monitoring of Termitomyces basidiospore dispersal ecology under rainfall-linked microclimatic conditions and identifies the meteorological variables needed for future quantitative kinetic studies.