A greenhouse experiment was conducted to determine the effect of added rice straw residue on growth and uptake of ammonium nitrogen by rice in Crowley silt loam soil (Typic Albaqualfs). Nitrogen fertilizer was applied as ¹⁵N labeled ammonium chloride (NH₄Cl), which had 3% ¹⁵N abundance at the rate of 150 kg N ha^-1.  Total nitrogen and ¹⁵N labeled in plant were determined at different plant growth stages and in the root and grain at the harvest.  The higher rice straw treatment rate had an adverse affect on plant growth from the first to sixth week. After six weeks, the high rice straw treatment had a positive effect on plant growth (P<0.05). ¹⁵N labeled ammonium nitrogen uptake by rice was significantly lower (P<0.05) in the high rice straw treatment than in the treatment of lower rice straw addition. Highest atom % ¹⁵N in plant was detected at the panicle initiation stage under both water management treatments (2.61 and 2.64 atom % in alternately flooded and drained, and continuously flooded treatment, respectively).  Plant dry weight in control treatment (without rice straw) was greater than that of the treatments amended with rice straw.  Greater plant growth was recorded under alternate