The correct answer is (1) Herbicide resistant soybean.

Herbicide-tolerant soybean has the largest global acreage among GM crops, with tens of millions of hectares planted annually across major producers such as the USA, Brazil, Argentina, and others. This area far exceeds that of insect-resistant cotton, Bt brinjal, or delayed-ripening tomato.

Explanation of each option

1. Herbicide resistant soybean – Correct

• Soybean engineered for tolerance to broad-spectrum herbicides (e.g., glyphosate, glufosinate) dominates global GM crop cultivation.

• These varieties offer simplified weed control and high adoption, making them the single most widely grown transgenic crop worldwide.

2. Insect resistant cotton

• Bt cotton is an important GM crop in several countries and covers large areas, but its global acreage is still significantly less than that of herbicide-tolerant soybean.

• It ranks high but not first in worldwide GM crop area.

3. Insect resistant brinjal

• Bt brinjal (eggplant) is approved and cultivated only in a few countries (notably Bangladesh, and in limited trials elsewhere).

• Its total planting area is tiny compared with commodity GM crops like soybean and maize.

4. Delayed ripening tomato

• Early GM tomatoes with delayed ripening (e.g., Flavr Savr) were commercialized briefly and then withdrawn; current cultivation is negligible.

• They are historically important but not widely grown now.