The contribution of root respiration to total soil respiration is important in carbon cycle and soil carbon sequestration. Some methods, which have been widely used, include component integration method, root biomass extrapolation method, root exclusion method, and isotopic method and so on, are compared and appraised. Component integration involves separation of the constituent soil components contributing to CO₂ efflux(i.e., roots, sieved soil, and litter) followed by measurements of the specific rates of CO₂ efflux from each component part. Rates of all component parts are then multiplied by their respective masses and summed to yield an integrated total of TS_cer. Root biomass extrapolation based on the variety of root biomass and soil respiration flux at different sites, thus we can estimate the root contributions to total soil respiration. Existing root exclusion techniques may be categorized into three broadly defined areas: root removal, roots are removed, soil is placed back in reverses order of removal, and further root growth is prevented by barriers (alternatively, roots may be removed after a series of TS_cer measurements ); trenching, existing roots are severed by trenching at a plot boundary but not removed, and a barrier is installed to inhibit future root growth; and gap analysis, aboveground vegetation is removed from relatively large areas (e.g., clearcutting in forests) and TS_cer measurements in the gap are compared to TS_cer data for a forested area. Isotopic methods can be broadly classified as pulse labelling and continuous labeling. Isotopic methods have an advantage over other methods because they allow partitioning of TS_cer between root respiration and soil organic matter decomposition in situ, and avoid the disturbance effects. The comparison and application of these methods have been discussed.