An investigation was conducted to study physical and chemical change at two adjacent soil sites, one used for irrigated cotton since 1972 (cultivated) and the other for traditional grazing and browsing (uncultivated). The soil at each site, a clayey Vertisol was described and sampled for physical and chemical analyses. The result showed that the surface layer of the uncultivated soil was denser and more compact than that of the cultivated soil. Soil porosity and moisture build‐up were lower in the uncultivated than in the cultivated soil. Due to percolation of irrigation water and leaching of soluble salts, salinity, concentration of soluble cations, anions, and exchangeable cations were slightly higher at the lower soil depths in the cultivated than in the uncultivated soil. The exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP) also followed the same trend. Correlation coefficient between the values of electrical conductivity, soluble and exchangeable cations, sodium adsorption ratio (SAR), and ESP were more significant for the cultivated than for the uncultivated soil. Cultivation has reduced organic matter levels by 15%.