Start / Machinery and application / Spraying, planting and spreading
Enter the plant population, the spacing, and the seed quality to find out how many seeds to put per meter and per hectare.
Pre-sizing and estimating tool: the results do not replace a design, calculation, or report signed by a qualified professional, nor verification against the applicable standards.
How many seeds per hectare go into sowing, how many germinate, and how many become established plants.
For the same population, wider rows need more seeds per meter; the dot marks your spacing.
Drag the controls to simulate data different from what you entered (from 30% less to 30% more) and watch the result change instantly.
Seeds per meter of row for combinations of row spacing and field emergence, with the population and germination you entered.
The calculation done in steps, with the values you entered.
The calculation memo gathers this page's inputs, results, equations, assumptions, and references, with fields for project, responsible person, and review. The full report also includes the charts and interpretations, in color. In the print window, choose Save as PDF.
Enter the plant population you want in the stand, the row spacing, and the seed lot quality: germination from the test report, expected field emergence, and thousand-seed mass. The calculator returns the seeds per meter of row, the seeds and kilograms per hectare, and the seed spacing along the row.
Target of 300,000 plants/ha, rows 0.45 m apart, 85% germination, 90% emergence, thousand-seed mass of 150 g, and area of 50 ha.
Plants per meter = 300,000 × 0.45 ÷ 10,000 = 13.5. Seeds per meter = 13.5 ÷ (0.85 × 0.90) = 17.6. Seeds per hectare = 300,000 ÷ 0.765 = 392,157, or 58.8 kg/ha. For the 50 ha: about 2.9 t of seed.
The germination in the seed report is measured in a laboratory, under ideal conditions. In the field, soil, depth and climate reduce emergence. That is why the calculation uses both factors: without the emergence factor, the stand falls below the target.
| Data | Where to find it | What it is for |
|---|---|---|
| Germination (%) | batch lab report | calculate the seeds needed |
| Thousand-seed mass (g) | lab report or label | convert seeds to kg/ha |
| Field emergence (%) | crop history or test | correct soil loss |
| Spacing (m) | planter | convert ha to meters of row |
See the seed cost within the crop budget in the production cost per hectare and the operation cost in the machine hourly cost.
Divide the plant population you want by emergence and germination. The result is the number of seeds per meter of row, which depends on spacing.
Because some viable seeds do not emerge in the field, due to soil, sowing depth and climate.
Depends on the crop, cultivar, season and region. Use the recommendation from the cultivar's breeder and local research; the calculator only converts the target into seeds per metre and per hectare.
Count the seeds dropped per metre in some stretches before sowing the whole area and compare with the result. After planting, count the emerged plants to adjust the estimated emergence.
It is shown on the seed lot's test report or label. It varies with the cultivar and the seed size, and changes the consumption in kg/ha even at the same population.
Because the population per hectare is fixed. With wider rows, each meter of row needs more seeds to reach the same plant target.
Yes. Under poor moisture, temperature or soil preparation conditions, field emergence drops. Enter a lower value, or delay sowing, according to the technical recommendation.
Important notice: the Agrocalcs tools make estimates and preliminary sizing based on the data entered and on published engineering methods. They do not replace a design, a calculation report or a report signed by a qualified professional (CREA/ART), nor verification against the applicable technical standards and legislation, such as the Regulatory Standards of the Ministry of Labor. Material and fuel properties vary: check with the manufacturer or with analyses of your process before deciding. By using the site, you agree to the Terms of Use.
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