# What is the most valuable crop? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 11, 2004, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-valuable-crop/268626 "2004-10-11T13:22:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2004, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-valuable-crop/268626/21 "2004-10-11T20:04:40Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > Can you “grow a crop” of truffles? I thought their charm (read: expense) is due to the fact that they grow wild and have to be found. > > Wouldn’t you need to first grow a forest on your magical land and THEN grow truffles? Can fungus grow alone? As far as I know, truffles and chantrelle mushrooms aren’t cultivated, and only found in natural settings. But the OP asked about a magical acre that could grow anything, and I was trying to think of something beyond the obvious. That’s why I suggested someone figure out a hypothetical yield for just the fungus. Which suggests another dimension to the problem… Does the length of time to maturity of the crop factor into this? Considering the price of hardwood lumber, an acre of cherry or oak trees (or probably some more exotic wood) would fetch a pretty hefty sum. But you could have dozens of strawberry harvests in the time it took grow mature trees. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2004, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-valuable-crop/268626/22 "2004-10-11T20:39:07Z")
> [@Philster](#): > > In the U.S. it is tomato. > … > Unless you read this about tobacco: > … Now if we could only find away to combine the two of them…but what would we call it :dubious:? ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2004, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-valuable-crop/268626/23 "2004-10-11T20:40:09Z")
ya know, I even previewed this, that should of course be “a way” not “away” ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2004, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-valuable-crop/268626/24 "2004-10-11T21:00:16Z")
Hothouses? ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2004, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-valuable-crop/268626/25 "2004-10-11T22:27:38Z")
Well, ginseng can net $30k an acre, but it takes a big investment up front and a number of years for the fields to begin producing. Right up there with strawberries, but not quite in vanilla’s league. The bean, not the poster. **Joey P**! Ooh! Ooh! I know! We call it the _tobato_, right? :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Bewildebeest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@Bewildebeest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bewildebeest)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2004, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-valuable-crop/268626/26 "2004-10-12T00:11:12Z")
> [@Joey P](#): > > Now if we could only find away to combine the two of them…but what would we call it :dubious:? Tomatoes and tobacco are closely related. So are potatoes. You can graft a tomato top onto potato roots and get two crops in the same space. It’s possible you could also graft tomatoes and tobacco onto the same stock. I’ve never heard of anyone trying it. ---
**Author:** ![ZebraShaSha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/eada6e/32.png) [@ZebraShaSha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZebraShaSha)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2004, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-valuable-crop/268626/27 "2004-10-12T00:29:31Z")
> [@Bewildebeest](#): > > Tomatoes and tobacco are closely related. So are potatoes. You can graft a tomato top onto potato roots and get two crops in the same space. It’s possible you could also graft tomatoes and tobacco onto the same stock. I’ve never heard of anyone trying it. How much is woosh $/acre anyways? ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2004, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-valuable-crop/268626/28 "2004-10-12T00:30:38Z")
> [@Bewildebeest](#): > > Tomatoes and tobacco are closely related. So are potatoes. You can graft a tomato top onto potato roots and get two crops in the same space. It’s possible you could also graft tomatoes and tobacco onto the same stock. I’ve never heard of anyone trying it. [General Disarray] “Simpsons did it!” ---
**Author:** ![Bewildebeest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@Bewildebeest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bewildebeest)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2004, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-valuable-crop/268626/29 "2004-10-12T01:13:18Z")
> [@ZebraShaSha](#): > > How much is woosh $/acre anyways? \cite\ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-valuable-crop/268626.md?page=1)