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<p>Drone technology offers new opportunities for atmospheric bioaerosol research, yet a lack of standardised sampling methods limits cross-study comparability. This study evaluated three low-cost, drone-based impaction techniques for airborne fungal spore collection: (1) an automated filter system, (2) a glass fibre filter mounted between the motor and propeller, and (3) propellers coated with glycerol. Fifteen paired comparisons were conducted, comprising 30 drone flights, to assess relative sampling efficiency. Among the three, the automated filter system was the most effective, capturing over an order of magnitude more spores than the other two methods. All approaches successfully recovered fungal spores, demonstrating feasibility for aerial applications. The main strengths of these low-cost systems are their portability and accessibility, though the filter and glycerol methods are limited by short sampling durations and lower precision. Overall, drone-assisted sampling provides an accessible means to collect airborne fungal spores at heights below 500&#xa0;m, and the methods compared here offer practical options for exploratory studies of vertical spore distributions. However, because sampled air volume cannot be quantified for the passive methods and propeller-induced airflow remains uncharacterised, these techniques should currently be regarded as semi-quantitative tools rather than standardised approaches for bioaerosol monitoring.</p>

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Drones and fungal spores: comparisons of low-cost sampling methods

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年4月20日

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  • Rohit Bangay,
  • Atsushi Matsuki,
  • Nobuko Tuno

摘要

Drone technology offers new opportunities for atmospheric bioaerosol research, yet a lack of standardised sampling methods limits cross-study comparability. This study evaluated three low-cost, drone-based impaction techniques for airborne fungal spore collection: (1) an automated filter system, (2) a glass fibre filter mounted between the motor and propeller, and (3) propellers coated with glycerol. Fifteen paired comparisons were conducted, comprising 30 drone flights, to assess relative sampling efficiency. Among the three, the automated filter system was the most effective, capturing over an order of magnitude more spores than the other two methods. All approaches successfully recovered fungal spores, demonstrating feasibility for aerial applications. The main strengths of these low-cost systems are their portability and accessibility, though the filter and glycerol methods are limited by short sampling durations and lower precision. Overall, drone-assisted sampling provides an accessible means to collect airborne fungal spores at heights below 500 m, and the methods compared here offer practical options for exploratory studies of vertical spore distributions. However, because sampled air volume cannot be quantified for the passive methods and propeller-induced airflow remains uncharacterised, these techniques should currently be regarded as semi-quantitative tools rather than standardised approaches for bioaerosol monitoring.