Antecedent water regime and rice straw application time also markedly affected temporal variation patterns of CH₄ fluxes and soil redox potential (Eh) during the period of time from soil being flooded to rice harvest. Considerable CH₄ was emitted into the atmosphere from flooding to the early stage of the rice-growing season, and 4 emission maxima occurred several days after flooding and in the early, mid, and late stages of the rice-growing period for treatments DFL and FFE. However, for treatment DFE, there was almost no CH₄ emission until the middle of the rice-growing season, and CH₄ fluxes in the mid and late stages of the rice-growing period were also very low. Soil Eh values of treatments FFE and DFL were compatible for methanogenic bacteria almost every day after flooding. However, it took 65 days of flooding before the Eh of treatment DFE dropped to the same level. Differences in the temporal variation patterns of soil Eh were the main reason why variation patterns of CH₄ fluxes were different.