Soaring temperatures in the US north-west have damaged the region’s blueberry crop.

Temperatures reached 100°F in Oregon during July and have caused a sharp drop in the state’s blueberry crop.

The Oregon Blueberry Commission expects the yield this season to reach only 15,454 tonnes - about 18 per cent less than previously projected.

Before the July heatwave, the fields had been shaping up to produce a bumper crop. But the heat reduced yields, and berries were sunburned.

“We just got slammed with those triple-digit hot days,” said Oregon Blueberry Commission administrator Bryan Ostlund. But Ostlund expects price and demand for blueberries to remain strong as a result.

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