Hi Salvadora,

Here are some useful links and pdf attachments for your persual.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/270160846_Effect_of_Drought_Stress_on_Leaf_Area_in_Cotton_Gossypium_hirsutum_L

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4257511/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breeding_for_drought_stress_tolerance

https://books.google.co.in/books?id=9JnpCAAAQBAJ&pg=PA87&lpg=PA87&dq=understanding+leaf+area+and+leaf+weight+in+development+of+drought+tolerance&source=bl&ots=oFkBDNbXMM&sig=U1yZWCwYZlsbKCpK-B4vQAffLtY&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiYo569-ODMAhXKjpQKHQeWAZAQ6AEIQzAE#v=onepage&q=understanding%20leaf%20area%20and%20leaf%20weight%20in%20development%20of%20drought%20tolerance&f=false

Good Luck

Conference Paper Effect of Drought Stress on Leaf Area in Cotton (Gossypium h...

 Hi Salvadora,

leaf weight has an important role in screening for drought tolerance when compared to leaf area under drought stress increase in leaf dry weight is an acclimation response to drought stress tolerance. I, found that when leaf area is measured on the same time when you are taking leaf weight you will fined that the leaf wight is fund to increased . This can be assumed by determination of specific leaf weight  = the ratio of leaf area with leaf weight see my papers or fell fee to contacting me if still you have any problem in your research.

(1)   Drought stress resistance in two diverse genotypes of lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) imposed at different phenophases.

B. K. Mishra, J. P. Srivastava and J. P. Lal

Journal of Food Legumes, 2014: 27(4): 307-314.

(2)    Physiological and Biochemical Adaptations in lentil genotypes under drought stress. 

B. K. Mishra, J. P. Srivastava, J. P. Lal and M. S. Sheshshayee

Russian Journal of Plant Physiology, 2016: 63(4):1-14

  You can fined these papers from research gate i, have uploaded for reseachers

Best wises

Brajesh

Thank you.

Please refer to the studies on Leaf Sclerophylly indexes (Denaxa et al., 2012) which states that increasing leaf weight under drought or any other abiotic stress is an indicator of increased leaf tissue density (LTD) which may be due to thickened leaf epidermis or mesophyll cells so that water may be conserved. On the other hand decreasing leaf area may be a consequence of decreasing turgor resulting in reducedc leaf expansion rates.  

Leaf weight reflects the assimilate depositing in leaf as a surplus over exported sink. Moreover, water holding capacity of leaf depend upon these stored hydrophilic materials.

Leaf area usually reflects the light intensity that leaf are exposed to, where low light intensities tended to increase the leaf area. However, high light intensities tended to reduce leaf area on the account of leaf thickness.

leaf size and leaf bulk density reflect the the capacity of inter cellular spaces, which reflect the CO2 quantity, the Photosynthesis substrate.

You need to compromise between these traits in order to detect the leaf participation in yield    

we have identified SLM is very good trait for drought tolerance and environmental adaptation