## 1 Introduction  
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), incorrect land management and various detrimental environmental factors reduce agricultural productive areas by 1-2% each year, a decrease that is expected to accelerate in the coming decades [1]. Salinity is a soil condition characterized by high concentrations of soluble salts, which is a very important stress factor for plants [2; 3]. In general, salinity impacts negatively on the morphological and biochemical functions of plants, inhibiting seed germination, growth, development, and plant yield [4; 5]. The deleterious effects of sodium (Na+) on plants are associated with the excessive accumulation of ions in the root zone altering the soil texture, reducing osmotic potential, porosity, water conductance and aeration, and increasing the water retention capacity and osmotic pressure. These effects restrict the absorption of water and important ions, and furthermore, the ionic imbalances induced affect the absorption of nutrients by plants [6; 7; 8]. Under conditions of excess Na+, the levels of growth regulators are altered, decreasing the protein synthesis and impairing the photosynthetic processes [9; 10]. Another effect of salt stress is oxidative damage, which is caused by the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS); these are known to be detrimental to cells at high concentrations [11; 12; 13], and if the intracellular concentration of ROS is not controlled, the direct consequences are damage to the cell structure by lipid peroxidation, protein oxidation, nucleic acid damage and, enzymatic inhibition, ultimately leading to cell death [14; 15; 16]. Microorganisms play a vital role in the agricultural field as they are important for reducing the harmful effects of abiotic stress (drought, high and low temperatures, salinity, metal toxicity, etc.) in crop production [17]. The promotion of growth in plants produced by PGPR can be multifactorial, such as resulting from the solubilization of phosphates, production of siderophores, biological fixation of nitrogen, production of the enzyme 1-Aminocyclopropane 1-carboxylic acid (ACC) deaminase, production and regulation of phytohormones, biocontrol activity, production of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and the activation of induced systemic resistance (ISR) [18]. In recent years, there has been increased interest in studying VOCs released by PGPR [19; 20; 21; 22; 23; 24]. Many types of soil bacteria can emit mVOCs, although the type and quantity of the compounds released may differ between species and culture conditions [25; 26]. mVOCs are secondary metabolites, mainly derived from fermentation reactions, such as aldehydes, ketones, alcohols, and hydrocarbons [27; 28; 29; 30; 31]. They are characterized by being of low molecular weight and having a high vapor pressure and a low boiling point [32; 33], with these characteristics being favorable for their evaporation and diffusion through air, water, soil and rhizosphere environments [34; 35; 36]. Numerous investigations have demonstrated the involvement of VOCs produced by rhizobacteria in the promotion of plant growth [37; 38] or in the activation of ISR in plants through the recognition of molecular patterns and the triggering of its defense machinery [38; 39; 40]. These compounds also participate in the direct inhibition of pathogens through their negative effect on the growth of the mycelium or spores, or by reducing the motility and biofilm formation [41; 42]. _Mentha piperita_ L. (peppermint) is a hybrid (_M. aquatic_\(\times\)_M. spicata_) that is an important medicinal and aromatic herb worldwide. It is a rich source of secondary metabolites such as terpenoids and polyphenols, which have strong biological effects [43]. In recent years, the demand for _Mentha piperita_ L. has increased, mainly due to changes in consumption habits seeing an increase in pre-prepared foods and with greater demand for conditions with antioxidant properties.