[Objectives]Growth of rice seedlings is vulnerable to being stunted by short-term straw returning. In order to explore the underlying mechanisms of stunted seedlings and its remedial measures,effect of nitrogen on growth and nutrients uptake of rice seedlings under wheat straw returning was determined in the present study. [Methods]Using a japonica rice cultivar‘Ningjing 3’,the pot experiment was conducted with 5 nitrogen treatments. Tiller number,plant height,dry matter accumulation,root activity and mineral concentration of rice seedling were measured. [Results]Incorporation of wheat straw negatively affected tiller number,plant height,dry weight,N,P and K concentrations in shoot of rice seedlings. Compared with non-straw returning,root dry weight,root activity,and N,P and K concentrations decreased by 8.1%,26.6%,13.2%,20.8%,and 15.4%,respectively. N fertilizer promoted plant growth,dry weight and mineral nutrients uptake. Compared with non-N fertilizer,N application increased root dry weight,root activity,N,P,and K concentrations of rice seedlings by 86.1%,45.0%,29.7%,32.4%,and 67.8%,respectively. Increasing the ratio of tillering fertilizer improved root activity,tiller number and dry matter accumulation at high N level treatment. [Conclusions]Weak function of root was the cause of worse performance of rice seedlings under wheat straw returning,which can be alleviated by increasing basal N fertilizer at tillering stage,especially increasing the ratio of tillering fertilizer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]