The researchers wanted to see how well maize and potato could grow together in a mixed planting system compared to growing alone. They did an experiment with different ratios of potato to maize plants and found that having a mix of both crops led to higher yields for both. More plants per square meter also increased the amount of sunlight absorbed and leaf area. The best potato yield came from a ratio of 75% potato and 25% maize, while the best maize yield came from an equal mix of both crops. Intercropping was more profitable than growing each crop alone, with the highest profitability seen when there was more potato than maize in the mix.