## 2 SAR Data, Field Data and Study Sites
### Study Site Characteristics
Flooding was observed in some parts of the district in early January 2014, but this did not have a significant impact on the rice crop. India (Sites 8, 9 and 10, Cuddalore, Thanjavur and Sivaganga): In Cuddalore District, the monitoring covered the samba season from mid-July 2013, to the first week of January 2014. The majority of the monitored locations were irrigated, predominantly from groundwater (wells). Popular rice varieties grown were CR1009, BPT5204 and White Ponni, with maturity durations ranging from 135 to 160 days. Both transplanting and direct seeding of rice are common in this district, with the former establishment method being more dominant. Thanjavur is popularly known as the \"Rice Bowl\" of Tamil Nadu and \"Granary of South India\", as it is the major district contributing to the food grain supply of the state. The samba season, 2013, from August to December, was monitored. Most of the monitored locations were irrigated, and farmers practiced transplanting and direct seeding as their crop establishment method. Medium- and long-duration varieties, such as CR1009, BPT5204 and ADT (R) 50, were mainly grown, with durations from 135 to 160 days. In Sivaganga, the samba season lasted from September 2013, to January 2014. Rice cultivation was broadly grouped into three types: transplanted, semi-dry and direct seeded. The transplanted system was practiced in the blocks of Thirupuvanam, Sivaganga, Manamadurai, Singampunari, Thirupattur, S. Pudur, Sakkottai, Kallal and Illayangudi. In the semi-dry rice system, seeds are pre-monsoon sown and are under rainfed conditions for 30-45 days. Later, the fields were converted into wet fields by irrigating from tanks, and this type of cultivation was practiced in the blocks of Sakkottai, Kannankudi, Devakkottai, Kallal, Kalayarkovil, Sivaganga, Manamadurai, Illayangudi and Thirupattur. Direct-seeded rice cultivation mainly depends on rainfall and is mostly practiced in Illayangudi, Devakkottai, Kannankudi and Kalaiyarkovil blocks. Short-duration rice varieties, such as ADT36, ADT45 and JGL, were popularly grown in the monitoring locations. Thailand (Sites 11 and 12, Muang Yang and Suphan Buri): In Muang Yang District in Nakorn Ratchasima Province, in the northeast region of Thailand, 16 locations were monitored between May and November 2013. In general, rice farmers rely on rainfall as their main water source for rice fields, resulting in relatively homogeneous crop establishment dates. Farmers typically practice direct seeding using photoperiod-sensitive varieties, such as KDML105, RD 6 and RD 15, whose maturity varies from 150 to 178 days. Meanwhile, from June to October 2013, 20 locations were monitored in Suphan Buri Province (located in the Chao Phraya Central Plain), where non-photoperiod-sensitive rice varieties were grown in irrigated and intensive rice production systems. Irrigation water is available throughout the year, and the crop establishment date can vary widely over small distances. The rice varieties used by farmers in Suphan Buri included RD 31, RD 47, RD 41, PTT1, RD29, SPR1 and PSK2. These are mostly short-duration varieties with maturity durations ranging from 92 to 120 days.