Last summer’s scorching string of 100-degree days did more than break records in the Valley, it zapped the strength out of many of the region’s prized cherry trees, resulting in a much smaller crop this year.

Some cherry growers in Fresno and Tulare counties are reporting significant losses while others appear to have dodged a bullet.

Daniel Jackson in Kingsburg grows cherries on 30 acres and considers himself lucky he has fruit to pick this season. Unlike previous years, when Jackson’s bountiful trees produced enough fruit for up to four harvests, he may only get one and a half this year.

“If 10 is a great crop, most guys are at a 3 or a 4,” Jackson said. “It is light.”

Jackson spends part of his day scouting his orchard looking for signs the fruit may be ready to pick. What he finds among the select sweet-tasting, dark red fruit, are cherries lacking color and size. His picking crew leaves those behind.

Jackson suspects last year’s triple-digit-temperatures were a factor in why his trees did not produce fruit.

“With the type of spring we had and the weather we had during bloom, you would have thought we would have had a huge crop,” Jackson said.

Despite a light crop, Jackson is selling cherries along with other fruit at his family run fruit stand at Mendocino and Mountain View avenues, until supplies last.

The fruit stand, named Swedest Fruits, a concept created by his son, Trace Jackson, is open Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Statewide, cherry industry officials estimate this year’s crop may come in at 5.5 million to 6.5 million 18-pound boxes. Last season the industry that is centered in the San Joaquin Valley generated 10.2 million boxes.

Raymond Mireles, a University of California fruit and almond advisor for Fresno and Tulare counties, has fielded several calls from cherry and almond growers concerned about a lack of fruit and nuts.

Blazing hot temperatures appear to be the culprit. Last July was the hottest month ever recorded for Merced, Madera, Fresno and Bakersfield, according to officials from the National Weather Service.

Extremely hot temperatures can have a debilitating effect on the development of the fruit and nut buds on trees. And with climate change producing irregular and unpredictable patterns of weather, the potential for experiencing higher temperatures more frequently does exist, Mireles said.

During the periods of extremely hot temperatures, a fruit tree will conserve its resources in order to survive, it will shed the developing buds in favor of producing more leaves.

“The reason plants produce flowers is because they are reproducing themselves, but when a tree is under stress, it comes down to the tree surviving or it producing offspring,” Mireles said. “The tree will abort those flower buds.”

Fortunately that wasn’t the case for all nut and fruit growers. There were areas where cherry trees did not suffer under extreme stress and were able to produce fruit buds, Mireles said.

On Fresno County’s west side, longtime farmer Joe Del Bosque was not among the lucky. He was stunned at the paltry number of cherries hanging from the trees in his 40-acre orchard.

Del Bosque didn’t harvest a single cherry this year, except for the few he picked for his wife.

“This has never happened to us,” Del Bosque said. “The last few years we have had tremendous crops and this year almost nothing.”

The few cherries that Del Bosque found weren’t enough to cover the cost of picking them. The only picking he did was a bin for the insurance company so they can process his claim.

At Mountain Brook Ranch, east of Clovis, Brandon Hooker is hopeful the popular u-pick farm, at 17971 Auberry Rd., will be open in a few weeks. Hooker’s father, Howard, planted the first cherry trees on the property about 40 years ago.

The farm has several varieties of cherries, including Brooks, Tulare and Rainier. It also features strawberries and boysenberries.

Like other cherry farmers, Hooker is carefully surveying his trees to determine when he might open. He strongly suggests that people check his Instagram page at Mountain Brook Ranch and website, mountainbrookranch2.com, for the latest information.

“Cherries can be a very finicky crop,” Hooker said. “It’s like going to Las Vegas, when the crop is good, it’s like hitting the jackpot.”