University of Georgia College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences
Cooperative Extension Service

Determining Plant Number per Acre

Each year, growers have questions relating to determining plant numbers per acre. The table below may be useful for planting density. In recent years, growers have tended to increase the plant population per acre in an attempt to compensate for losses to tomato spotted wilt virus. While this may be helpful when losses are single plants, this approach may not be as helpful when losses are more than one plant consecutively. While yields may be increased by increasing plant populations, under certain conditions the percent yield increase is not comparable to the percent increase in plant population. Overplanting results in the need for greater numbers of transplants and the hhandling of greater numbers of leaves. While this factor may not be as important today, with mechanical harvesting, as in previous years when harvest was all a result of hand labor, there is a cost for handling a greater number of lighter leaves per box or barn. Previous work indicates best overall performance is a result of combinations of row width, in-row spacing, and topping height, which yields approximately 120,000 leaves per acre.



Number of Plants per Acre Needed at Various Row Widths and Drill Distances
Drill Distance Row Width (feet/inches)
3.00 3.17 3.33 3.50 3.67 3.83 4.00 4.17 4.33
(feet) (inches) 36 38 40 42 44 46 48 50 52
1.33 16 10890 10317 9801 9334 8910 8523 8168 7841 7539
1.50 18 9680 9171 8712 8297 7920 7576 7260 6970 6702
1.67 20 8712 8253 7841 7467 7128 6818 6534 6273 6031
1.83 22 7920 7503 7128 6789 6480 6198 5940 5702 5483
2.00 24 7260 6878 6534 6223 5940 5682 5445 5227 5026
2.17 26 6702 6349 6031 5744 5483 5245 5026 4825 4640


The University of Georgia and Ft. Valley State College, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and counties of the state cooperating. The Cooperative Extension Service offers educational programs, assistance and materials to all people without regard to race, color, national origin, age, sex or disability.

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Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work, Acts of May 18 and June 30, 1914, The University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and the U.S. Department of Agriculture cooperating.

Gale A. Buchanan, Dean and Director