  In this paper, we derive a new form of maximum principle for smooth functions on a complete noncompact Riemannian manifold $M$ for which there exists a bounded vector field $X$ such that $\langle\nabla f,X\rangle\geq 0$ on $M$ and $\mathrm{div} X\geq af$ outside a suitable compact subset} of $M$, for some constant $a>0$, under the assumption that $M$ has either polynomial or exponential volume growth. We then use it to obtain some straightforward applications to smooth functions and, more interestingly, to Bernstein-type results for hypersurfaces immersed into a Riemannian manifold endowed with a Killing vector field, as well as to some results on the existence and size of minimal submanifolds immersed into a Riemannian manifold endowed with a conformal vector field. 
A maximum principle related to volume growth and applications