Final answer:
Agriculture in the Americas was developed independently, with maize first domesticated in Mesoamerica. The crop that did not originate in the New World is wheat, as tobacco, maize, and potato crops were native to the Americas before the arrival of Europeans.
Step-by-step explanation:
Origins of Agriculture and Crop Domestication
Agriculture was developed independently in various parts of the world, including areas that now form China, the Fertile Crescent, New Guinea, and several independent regions in the Americas. Archaeological evidence suggests that in the Americas, agriculture started in regions including Mesoamerica, the Andean region, and what is now the eastern United States. Specifically, maize (corn), an important staple crop, was first domesticated in Mesoamerica.
When discussing which crops did not originate in the New World, it is clear from historical records that wheat is the correct answer. Unlike tobacco, maize, and potatoes, which were native to the Americas and unknown to Europeans before the Columbian Exchange in 1492, wheat was a staple in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East long before it was introduced to the Americas.
Subsequently, agriculture did not reach what is now the United States until after the indigenous peoples of the Americas developed their own agricultural practices, well before European contact. The first Europeans to establish a permanent settlement in North America were the English at Jamestown in 1607, but agriculture had been present among indigenous cultures much earlier than that.