Abstract <p>Soil carbon dioxide (CO₂) measurements usually cover total CO₂ emission but do not specifically consider root respiration. Therefore, in this study an experiment was conducted to measure root respiration, in which maize was cultivated and monitored from planting to grain filling stage to assess its root contributions to total CO₂ emission. During this period, CO₂ emissions were measured from the planted (PL) and plant-free (PF) soil surfaces. The difference between the applications PL and PF were considered to be maize root CO₂ emission as root exclusion (RE) method. In another method, the maize root was removed from the soil immediately after it was placed into the chamber to evaluate its respiration called excised root method. Five measurements were conducted throughout the maize maturation period using measurements of CO₂ emissions, soil temperature, soil moisture, and root weights. According to RE method significant relationship between PL and PF was observed and revealed that root CO₂ emissions accounted for 34.3% of total soil emissions. Also, a strong positive correlation was found between root biomass and CO₂ emissions. Specific CO₂ emission declined by following plant growth. Root CO₂ emissions in excised roots were higher than RE method; in some measurements, root emissions even exceeded the total CO₂. The higher root respiration in relation to total emissions is likely related to the increased exposure of the roots to air following their extraction from the soil. In conclusion, around one fourth of the CO₂ emission of soil is attributed to roots, and the difference method is considered more reliable for determining root CO₂ emissions in plants.</p>