Yield losses from insect pests were determined by the insecticide check method in 60 crops in the Philippines from 1976–1986 in three rice environments with traditional and modern cultivars in 10 sites. Plot size of 100 m2 minimized interplot interference from insecticide protection on untreated plots. Low and high crop losses were recorded across sites in drylands (2–39%, = 25%), rainfed wetlands (13–24%, = 21%), and irrigated wetlands (5–40%, = 18%). Weighted crop loss for the Philippines based on production by environment and cultivar type averaged 18.3% or 0.57 t/ha per crop. Consistently greater yield loss occurred in the vegetative (50%) than reproductive (30%) or ripening (20%) stages across environments and cultivars. No epidemics affected the trials therefore crop losses were those from chronic pests. The major chronic pests in the wetlands were stem borers, leaffolders, whorl maggot, and rice bug; and in the drylands were ants, seedling maggots, white grubs, leaffolders, stem borers and rice bug. Yield loss variability was greater between fields than crops or sites, therefore a control strategy based on corrective actions when pest numbers reach threshold levels is more efficient than prophylactic actions. Yield loss was more in early maturing cultivars stressing the importance of compensation in tolerating insect damage. Insect stresses perhaps can be compensated by total crop management to increase the plant's ability to tolerate insect damage.

In the tropics, insect pests cause considerable damage to soybean, Glycine max and mungbean, Vigna radiata from germination until harvest and even in storage. Agromyzid flies in the seedling stage, lepidopterous and coleopterous defoliators in the vegetative and early reproductive stages, pentatomid and coreid bugs and lepidopterous pod-borers in the reproductive stage, and bruchids in storage all cause significant damage. Sources of resistance to agromyzids in mungbean (AVRDC accession V 4281), defoliators (PI 171451, PI 227687, PI 229358) and stink bugs (PI 227687 and PI 171444) in soybean, and bruchids in mungbean (V 2164) are available. In most cases, antibiosis appears to be the major mechanism of resistance. These sources are being exploited in the development of agromyzid-resistant mungbean, defoliator- and stink bug-resistant soybean, and bruchid-resistant mungbean at the Asian Vegetable Research and Development Center (AVRDC). Diversity in insect species within a pest complex and, in certain cases, biotypes of single pest at different locations as well as pest ecology are likely to influence the resistance reaction and, in practical terms, the utilization of pest resistance as a tool in the management of insect pests of soybean and mungbean. Greater efforts are required at local level to fully utilize insect pest resistant germplasm.