Three novel strains, designated Gsoil 034T, Gsoil 060T and Jip13T, isolated from soil from a ginseng field and compost in South Korea, were characterized using a polyphasic approach to clarify their taxonomic positions. These isolates were found to be Gram-negative, aerobic and heterotrophic, non-spore-forming, non-motile and rod-shaped. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that these three isolates formed a cluster with the monospecific genus Olivibacter within the family Sphingobacteriaceae but were clearly separated from Olivibacter sitiensis. The 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities between these isolates and the type strain of O. sitiensis were in the range 88.5-90.1 %. Phenotypic and chemotaxonomic data (MK-7 as the major isoprenoid quinone and iso-C15 : 0 2-OH and/or C16 : 1omega7c, iso-C15 : 0 and iso-C17 : 0 3-OH as the major fatty acids) supported the affiliation of these strains to the genus Olivibacter. However, the results of physiological and biochemical tests allowed phenotypic differentiation of the isolates from Olivibacter species with validly published names. Therefore strains Gsoil 034T, Gsoil 060T and Jip13T represent three novel species of the genus Olivibacter, for which the names Olivibacter soli sp. nov. (type strain Gsoil 034T =KCTC 12645T =LMG 23492T), Olivibacter ginsengisoli sp. nov. (type strain Gsoil 060T =KCTC 12646T =LMG 23491T) and Olivibacter terrae sp. nov. (type strain Jip13T =KCTC 12644T =LMG 23494T) are proposed.