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Methods used to estimate the CO₂ emission from soil commonly measure the total CO₂ flux. To be able to quantify the net CO₂ emission from cultivated peat soils there is a need to distinguish between soil organic matter-derived CO₂ respiration and plant-derived respiration. In this investigation we used the root exclusion method to separate the plant-derived respiration from total CO₂ emission. The plant-derived contribution was estimated to be between 27 and 63% of total CO₂ emission depending on soil type and season. We also found a relationship between soil temperature, biomass growth and CO₂ efflux, which can be used to estimate plant-derived respiration. Due to the priming effect the root exclusion method is less reliable late in the season.